The Bonds That We've Formed
by HoneyFlower15
Summary: Graduation has come but with it so does Nui. She reveals to everyone the truth about Mako that was kept hidden away from all, including Mako herself. Now she has taken control of Mako and plans to resurrect Ragyo. Will her friends be able to rescue her or will Mako be lost to the Life Fibers forever? And will she come back as the Mako they knew and loved? Gamako
1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining down brightly as the feel of summer began to set in. The weather was perfect for a beach day and that is exactly what everyone had planned. The battle to save the world had finally come to an end and they had won. Ragyo was defeated and since she was now gone there was no longer a need for the academy. Satsuki was planning a graduation ceremony for every student that attended the academy this weekend but before then everyone wanted to enjoy their time off. Since the academy and Satsuki were no longer enforcing districts based on how many stars you have everyone in the city was able to enjoy all parts of the town and luxuries that they may not have been able to before. Ryuko, Mako, and the whole family decided since the two girls would be graduating they should celebrate. They were no longer living in the slums but now were moved into a nice house with air conditioning, washer, driver, stove. All the things you need in a home and the feeling of a happy family living there. Satsuki had given them all they needed for helping out in the way. Even still didn't have much money to throw them a real party they decided a day at the beach would be the perfect place for a celebration.

So there they were. The entire Mankanshoku was down at the beach, soaking up the sun, playing in the sand, and the cool sea water. Ryuko sat on the burning sand but was not bothered by the heat resting on her bottom. She was content to sit there and watch her best friend enjoying the day, playing alongside her brother and their dog as they made a sandcastle. She looked down at her body clothed in a yellow bikini and while she felt no shame in wearing the revealing piece, she was used to wearing less, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. It had been nearly a month since the battle and she found herself missing Senketsu every time she would wear a new article of clothing. She slowly starting to accept that Senketsu was gone and all she had left were her memories but she still wished she had more time with the old uniform and could experience more happy times with it.

"Ryuko!" Mako was in front of her face in an instant, causing her to cry out in shock and fall backwards. "What are you doing just sitting there? Come on, we have to enjoy ourselves to the fullest!" she pulled at her friend's arm, bringing her fallen form to a standing one and was slowly pulling her towards the ocean.

Ryuko could only smile at her friend's enthusiastic behavior and let her pull her towards the ocean. She looked over her friend's body that wore a one piece pink bathing suit with a rabbit on her chest. Mako had a body that many high school girls would kill for but instead of showing it off she chose to cover it up in a more modest fashion that suited her taste better. She also noticed a tube wrapped around her friend's waist. "Mako, what's up with the swimming tube?" she asked, pointing at the flotation device.

Mako just grinned, suddenly goggles and a snorkel now on her face as she did her hallelujah speech. "It's because I don't know how to swim. Since our family was always so poor we could never avoid to go to the beach or pool so I never learned. But now that we are no longer in the slums I plan to beat the ocean by becoming the best swimmer out there." She finished her speech by straightening out the floatie wrapped around her waist and look at her best friend with wide hopeful eyes. "Will you please help me learn how?"

Blue eyes met brown ones and Ryuko could only smile. Even after everything that's happened Mako remained the same happy-go-lucky girl that she was when she first met her. "Of course." She would help her friend learn how to swim and do more if asked. She owed Mako everything. She and her family took her in without a second thought, gave her food and clothes despite them being so poor and welcomed her with open arms everyday she returned from school. Even when she went berserk and found out the true origins of her birth they still treated her as one of the family. She would do anything for her friend and their family. She was ready to begin her friend's first swim lesson when she was suddenly blinded by a bright purple light. Looking at the source of the light she groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not them again..." she sighed, annoyance now showing on her face.

Mako just stood still, watching her friend and wondering why she was looking so annoyed.

Aikuro was standing before them, one hand on his hip and the other pointed up towards the sky and was fully nude. He didn't even have a suit on. "I am glad to see you both enjoying these times of peace." He turned around, fully exposing himself to the two young girls making Ryuko blush and Mako gasp in shock. She had seen the man wear next to nothing but now she was seeing it all and was surprised.

"I thought for sure Sensei would be bigger." She mumbled to herself but Ryuko still heard her and started to laugh.

Aikuro felt his eye twitch but kept the grin on his face as he started to head in their direction. "While I appreciate your always honest remarks Mankanshoku, I did not come here to be judged."

Ryuko raised an eyebrow, trying hard not to look down below his waist. "Then why are you here?" she crossed her arms and waited for the man to give them his answer. She thought Nudist Beach was disbanded when they defeated Ragyo and freed the world from the Life Fibers taking over.

Aikuro grinned, cupping Ryuko's chin in one hand and leaned forward. "Isn't it obvious," he leaned in closer to whisper into her ear. "Summer romance."

Ryuko was not amused by this and proceeded to use Mako's snorkel to beat up the man for making such a joke. "Perverted old man! What have I said about making stupid jokes like that?!" she cried out, face now a blaze from her blush.

"You'll have to ignore him," Tsumugu stood next to Mako, he was just as nude as his friend was but he didn't seem to care. He stood facing forward, arms crossed and looking out at the ocean. He didn't seem to notice or care that the young girl was now looking at his naked body. "He is just trying to lighten the mood." He was hit in the face by Mako's goggles that were thrown by Ryuko.

"I don't care about this dumbass. Just put some damn clothes on!" She cried out, face heating up to the color of a tomato from both her rage and embarrassment.

Aikuro only laughed as he and his friend recover with ease from being hit. "I am glad to see you are in high spirits as always Ryuko but we did not come here to upset."

"Too late," she scoffed, crossing her arms once more and looked ready to strike him again.

"So how come you two are here?" Mako asked, confused as to why they suddenly showed up.

"Now that Nudist Beach is no longer needed all of our members have returned to their regular lives but we have one final mission to complete," Tsumugu informed them.

"You father, Isshin Matoi asked us to watch over you and to keep you and the ones you care for safe." Aikuro added in, a grin playing on his face as he looked down at the two girls. "So from this day we will act as your body guards Ryuko Matoi and Mako Mankanshoku." They stood tall and proud, showing off their well trained bodies and were glowing with a radiant purple light.

The two girls stood there, confused and unimpressed.

"No thanks." Ryuko merely waved them off. She was not interested in having body guards, not that she needed any.

"It is not up for discussion." Tsumugu refused to take no for an answer.

"We don't need body guards." Ryuko was starting to get annoyed again.

Mako nodded, "It's true. Ryuko is the strongest out there and can handle anything. Nothing can catch her by surprise!"

Aikuro chuckled, "Is that so?" he looked on head and grinned. "Then I suppose you already know what's coming next then." He pointed forward as he and Tsumugu jumped away.

Both girls grew still, wondering what he meant when suddenly a shadow loomed over them and the roar of an engine grew closer. It was getting closer to them and now they were able to see a pink Cadillac driving at them. They both gulped as realization sunk in. With speed only a skilled warrior could have Ryuko pulled Mako's arm and got them out of the way before they were hit by the car. It landed a foot away from where the two had been standing did a spin before coming to a halt.

Ryuko could only sigh. "There goes our peace." She and Mako stood back up on their feet and waited for everyone to get out.

Inside the large pink car was Satsuki and the former Elite Four. Gamagoori at the wheel with Satsuki in the passenger side while the other three were sitting in the back. In a flash the four all jumped out as Satsuki stood in the middle, all five of them wearing beach attire.

"Could you have made a more flashier entrance." Ryuko laughed, teasing her sister. Things may no longer be quite but she was glad to see her sister and friends nonetheless.

"Perhaps if you had informed us of your outing then we would not need to make such a bold entrance." Satsuki smiled back, her sunhat giving her a mature but graceful look as she stood in her light blue bikini.

"Honesty, that wasn't nice of you to go out and not tell us." Nonon Jakuzure said, wearing a two piece pink and white striped bikini with two red bows on her chest.

"They say the more the merrier so we should follow that saying and enjoy the beach together." Uzu Sanageyama said, wearing a pair of green swim trunk and grinning at the two girls.

"Lucky the tracking devices I placed on you two informed us of your plans." Hoka Inumuta said, adjusting his glasses. He wore a red hoodie and dark blue swim trunks.

The two girls blinked, turning to stare at each other. "Tracking devices?" the spun around, looking over every inch of their bodies to see where the devices could be hidden on them.

"Forget about that matter for now," Satsuki stepped forward as she pulled at Ryuko's hand and dragged her sister with her. "Let us just enjoy this beautiful day."

"But Mako-" Ryuko tried to fight, she didn't want to leave Mako all alone. Even if they were no longer enemies she didn't want to just leave her friend all alone.

"Is in very capable hands." Satsuki turned to Gamagoori, signaling him with a smile as she pulled her sister along with her down the beach. Ryuko saw the interaction between the two and instantly knew what was going on. She turned to stare back at her friend who was happily waving her off, unaware of what was really going on. "You guys are always up to something." She spoke softly, amusement in her voice.

Mako was glad to see that the two reunited sisters were getting along so well. They spent so many months fighting that she was glad to see them both enjoying themselves. After all that was what life was all about. Spending your days with the people you care about and having a blast at life. As she was waving her best friend off a shadow towered over her. She looked up to see Gamagoori staring her down, sweating and had a deep frown set on his face. He had been silent up to this point, dressed in a pair of white swim trunks, as he stood before her. His eyes seemed to go from her to the sand every so often. "Gamagoori-senpai, you came as well."

He nodded, "Even though the academy is no longer and Ragyo is gone we of the former student council will remain by Satsuki-sama's side should she ever need us."

Mako nodded, saying she understood. "That's good to hear. You really care about Satsuki-sama," she looked him over, inspecting his swim wear and was amazed that they had swimming trunks in his size. "The beach look is a good look on you." She gave him a thumbs up and grinned. She has seen him in attire like this before and he had such a big body and already tanned skin, not to mention is blonde hair. To her he looked like he practically belonged at the beach.

Gamagoori felt his heart stop and speed up at the same time. He gulped, nerves suddenly taking over his body as he finally allowed his eyes to settle on her. Instantly he felt his blood boil as he looked over her body clad in only a one piece bathing suit. It many have been a childish fashion but it fitted her so well that it made the pink fabric look ten times better. "T-Thank yo-you. I-I-I also th-think y-you look nice in your bathing suit." He was forcing the words out, trying to give her a compliment without sounding like an idiot but he was failing. He was not use to giving complaints to anyone other than Satsuki.

"Smooth." Jakuzure said, her voice laced with amusement and taunt as she stood there with her hands on her hip and a grin that could rival a hyena on her face.

"We have ourselves a real life Romeo." Sanageyama crossed his arms over his chest, an amused grin over his face but his wasn't as big as his pink-haired friend.

"It would seem all those flirting attempts are starting to pay off." Inumuta laughed, hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Now he was very glad he had set up surveillance cameras all over the beach. He and the rest of the former Devas would enjoy watching this scene later.

Gamagoori spun on his heel to yell at his friends. "Shut up. I was merely giving her a compliant. And for the last time, I was not flirting!" no matter where they were or what they were doing they always brought up that time when he rescued her and given her pieces of his own Nudist Beach uniform. He was not flirting, he was merely giving her something to wear so she didn't have to walk around naked the whole time. He was not flirting, he was being a gentleman. Even if he did see her naked chest and still dreamt about it to this day. He had not been flirting...much.

Mako suddenly became aware of his sudden change in behavior and wondered what was wrong. "Gamagoori-sempai, you look really angry. Are you upset that Satsuki-sama is taking Ryuko away with her? Are you still upset that you confession to Ryuko didn't turn out the way you wanted too?" she gasped, looking saddened for her when the thought hit her.

Gamagoori felt his body turn to stone when she brought up the confessions that was originally meant for her. He had everything planned out that day. He had the suit, flowers, and spent the previous nights staying up all hours to write out the perfect confessions. When he finally found the courage he jumped out from behind the wall he and his friends were hiding behind. Although they did have to give him a good shove to get his body moving before he did finally go out. He had been so nervous he had shut his eyes and began to bellow out his confession to Mako and handed her the flowers when he was finished.

Or so he thought.

When he finally opened his eyes he was horrified to see that he had jumped in front of Ryuko Matoi, who looked just as horrified. Mako at the time had pulled Satsuki along so they could give the two some time to sort out their feelings. Once they had left Gamagoori fell to the ground and laid there in utter defeat while his friends tried hard not to laugh as they attempted to cheer him up. They tried convincing him to make another attempted but he was so embarrassed and ashamed that he made such a foolish mistake that he fled the scene. He locked himself in his home for a week after that, too ashamed with himself to leave for messing up such an important matter.

But this time was different. With some help from Satsuki and everyone he was now bettered prepared and he made sure to keep his eyes open this time. "Mankanshoku," he yelled out, startling the poor girl and making her quiver in slight fear. "I request that you spend this day at the beach with me!" he could hear behind him his three friends try not to chuckle at his strange proposal but he did not give them another thought. His focus was solely on Mako and what she would say.

Large brown eyes looked up at his blushing face. She noticed his body was tense and tight with nerves as his hands kept clenching and unclenching. She titled her head to the side, a confused frown on her face. "But sempai, won't that make things between you and Ryuko more complicated?" she knew that her best friend did not have any feelings for the former disciplinary chairman but that did not mean something couldn't happen in the future. Ryuko had said that day that the confession was just a joke Gamagoori made but she wasn't sure how much she believed that. He had dressed up, gotten a rather large bouquet of flowers, and had an entire speech prepared. It didn't seem like a joke to her.

His body grew tense once more as his veins started to show. "I do not have feelings for Matoi!" he needed her to understand that he was not interested in her best friend but in her. Of course he realized that screaming his head off probably wasn't helping so taking in a few deep breathes he calmed himself and spoke again. "Please just forgot about that day. It was nothing more than a mistake on my part. My confession was never meant for Matoi."

"Then who was it for?" She wondered if maybe he had been planning to confess to Satsuki and had accidently said his confession to the wrong person.

He gulped, his palms sweating and his heart rate started to skyrocket. Was this it? Could he finally confess his feelings to Mako. She was the only one standing there so there would be no confusion this time around. But was he ready to say it. He gulped once more, deciding that now was not the time to tell her. "I will tell you if you spend the day with me." He spoke in a low embarrassed tone but it was loud enough that she could hear him. He wasn't sure how she would take his confession and if she did say no to him like he feared than he at least wanted to have one day with her before things between them became awkward and weird.

Silence over came them as Mako registered what he said. The silence was enough to give him a heart attack but he felt his body finally relax when he saw her smiling up at him. "Sounds good to me!" she gave him one of her radiant smiles, her cheeks a light shade of pink and happy giggles escaping her.

At that moment in time all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her tight. She was so sweet and innocent and kind. He wanted to keep that smile safe. "Then shall we go on with your swimming lesson. I will teach you while making sure you remain perfectly safe in the water."

Mako looked overjoyed when she was told that she was finally going to learn how to swim. "That would be amazing!" she jumped with excitement. She was so glad that she was finally going to be able to swim. She stopped her jumping when a sudden thought crossed her mind. "But how did you know that I don't know how to swim?" she never told him that she couldn't.

Gamagoori looked shocked by the question, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. Clearing his throat he straightened himself out and crossed his arms. "As the former disciplinary chairman I am required to know everything about all the students who attended the academy. And also..." he suddenly grew serious, his larger hand moving towards her. "You are wearing a floatation device around your waist." He said, pointing at blue and white poke-a-dot tube.

Mako just laughed. "Ok!" she easily accepted his answer without any doubts or concerns. That allowed the man to sigh in relief. While the tube was indeed a dead giveaway he was not about to tell her that before coming here Inumuta gave him a file that had her entire history in it. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she raised her fist, ready to jump in the ocean and conquer the art of swimming.

"Hold on a moment," suddenly Tsumugu appeared between the two, his naked body blocking them from touching. He turned towards Gamagoori and frowned. "As Mako Mankanshoku's bodyguard I cannot allow her to be left alone with someone of the opposite sex unless their intentions with her are pure. And I sincerely doubts your intentions are as pure as you are making them out to be," he grinned when he saw the bigger male begin to swear. He chuckled at the sight and stood next to Mako with his arms crossed. "Isshin Matoi asked me to protect his daughter Ryuko and those she cares about so I plan to watch over this girl, therefore your assistants is not needed. Come Mankanshoku, I will show you how to swim."

"But won't swimming in the buff be difficult." She asked, pointing to his exposed member. She imagined the fish in the ocean might mistake it for a worm and have them all biting him.

Tsumugu just scoffed at her words. "I was one of the top members of Nudist Beach. I won't be taken down so easily." He said just as he was picked up by an enraged Gamagoori and was flung across the ocean like a stone, skipping against the water as he did until he finally submerged into the water, fifty feet away from the group.

Mako looked on in awe at the distance Gamagoori threw the man while said male was busy trying to keep his temper in check. He could not believe that guy had fully exposed himself to such a young girl without any amount of shame. Even when he was stripped of his uniform he had the courtesy to wear a pair of shorts while in her presences. And how could she not be offended by the man walking around completely naked. Sure they wore next to nothing when they were fighting alongside the Nudist Beach members but still, there is a big difference between wearing revealing clothes and being fully exposed. But what really angered him was one thought. _"She saw another man before me!" _he felt his anger surge, his one hand balled into a fist and eyes glowing with the power and anger he was ready to release onto the world. He was an old fashion kind of guy and he believed that you should only reveal your body to the one you loved. According to the file Inumuta had on her she believed the same as him so he was pleased to know that. He had wanted them to experience each other's bodies together but now she would have another male's naked imagine in her mind when she should only have his.

He was snapped out of his angered thoughts by the sound of laughter coming from his friends.

"Jealous much." Jakuzure all but cackled out at what she witnessed.

"Someone doesn't like to share his girlfriend." Sanageyama grinned, very amused by his friend's behavior.

"It was a rather amusing sight. I'll be sure to add it to my data." Inumuta had his tablet out and was already taking pictures and adding the event to his database.

Gamagoori felt his face burn and his anger start to build up once more. "Shut up!" he quickly looked back to Mako and was pleased to see she was still staring off in the direction where he threw the man and was not paying attention to them. He had his own plan for letting her know his feelings and he didn't them messing things up. He would not have another confession ruined. Clearing his throat he straightened out and turned his focus back to the young girl who had turned her attention back on him. "Shall we go, Mankanshoku."

She nodded, "Sure." She grabbed his hand and lead him to the ocean when they would begin her lesson.

Gamagoori was practically a pile of goo when he felt her much smaller hand in his larger one. He barely paid attention to where they were going. He was too lost in how nice it felt to hold her hand in his. He didn't even care that his friends were once again laughing at him for no doubt having a dumb look on his face. To him none of that matter because now he was with the girl he loved and enjoying the day together.

The day came and went much faster than they wanted. The day at the beach had been a happy one. Everyone had enjoyed themselves, soaking up the rays from the sun, playing in the sand, and having a nice game a volleyball that turned deadly as soon as a few insults were thrown out. Mako had finally learned how to swim but it nearly drain Gamagoori of all his strength. Somehow he had forgotten that during a swim lesson one needs to hold the student in order to help them adjust to swimming in the water. He was a stuttering mess every time he had to place his hands on Mako's waists to help her. But he powered through and was pleased at the praises she had given him for teaching her. Now that the sun was setting they had all gathered round, eating a picnic that was made by Mako's mother and everyone was stuffing their faces as they devoured her mysterious croquettes. Once more Gamagoori had been given croquettes that were in the shape of Mako's head. He didn't know how it happened, or how they even knew he would be at the beach, but he didn't complain and graciously took the food. Making sure to eat it before anyone saw it. Of course everyone but Mako noticed and sent him a sneaky grin whenever they could. Once they had finished eating and the night had finally come, fireworks began to shoot off into the dark sky. They were set up by Satsuki for her friends to enjoy. So they sat there, everyone in their own little group looking up at the sky in wonder and joy as the bright explosions lit up the night.

Gamagoori and Mako were in their own group, sitting next to each other on the sand. They were no longer dressed in only their swim wear but now wore clothes more appropriate for the cool night that had come. Gamagoori wearing a black tank top with his white trunks still on, one arm was resting on his right leg that was propped up as the other was sitting atop the sand. She wore a yellow hoodie over her bathing suit, legs curled up to her chest to try and keep herself warm from the chilly air. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, completely absorbed at the sight before her. Gamagoori however found his attention shifting from the fireworks to her. He let his gaze drift over to the group, noticing that they were all focused on the display and the chance he had been waiting for all day had finally arrived. With great care he slowly slide himself closer to her, freezing up to wait and see if she would notice. When she didn't he moved again, closing the distance between them with great care. She finally noticed that he had moved when his arm was pressed against her. Turning her gaze away from the fireworks she looked up and saw that he was keeping his gaze on the sky, the night hiding away his blush that was burning his face.

"Y-You looked cold." He cleared his throat, trying to calm himself down so he could talk. He was not going to let himself mess this up. They were alone, watching the fireworks together. It was the perfect moment for him to confess.

She smiled up at him. "Senpai, is so kind. You can be really mean and scary but you're also really nice." She unwrapped one of her arms from her body as she ran her finger through the sand, making small circular designs. "But even when you were scary you were still very kind." She gave him one of her signature grins, smiling brightly up at him.

He felt his mind begin to shut down when he saw that smile. This is was it. He was given another chance to confess and he was not about to ruin it. With great care he placed both his hands on her shoulders, making them come face to face. He was ready. He may not be wearing a suit or have flowers but he still had his speech and he would tell her everything he had been planning to tell her that day. "Mankanshoku...I...I..." He couldn't get the words out. All he wanted to do was tell her how much he liked her but his entire declaration of love was locked in his throat. He was ruining yet another confessions and this time because he wasn't man enough to tell her how he felt.

"Senpai...?" Mako placed her hand on top of his that was resting on her shoulder. Her small soft hand touching his rough knuckles.

Her hand over his was all he needed to press forward. He thought of earlier that day when he had been allowed to hold hands with her and how wonderful it felt. He wanted to continue feeling that way. He wanted to be able to hold her hand once more. "I like you!"

A firework exploded just as he spoke. He knew he had spoken out loud, his entire body felt like it was going to collapse from the nerves of actually confessing. But he feared that the confession was lost to her ears because of the firework. Did she hear him? Would he have to tell her once more? Could he even muster up the courage to do it again?

"Gamagoori..." the look on her face told him all he needed to know. She had heard him confess. Her eyes were wide and full of shock as her pale face grew to a light shade of pink. She sat there, frozen in shock and he could feel her heart beating from through her clothes.

Now comes the part he was terrified of, waiting. He gulped, his own eyes were wide but not with shock but anticipation. He would wait as long as she needed to give him a proper answer. He didn't want to rush her or make her feel pressured to give him an answer. He wanted her to take her time and come up with a reply that she felt was best. Although there was a part of him that wanted her to hurry. It felt like his heart would jump out of his chest any moment. He had thought confessing was the hard part but in reality it was the waiting for a reply. Fear began to set in. What if she said no? Could he honestly say he would be alright with that? He would respect her wishes and accept that she did not hold the same feelings for him but there was a part of him that wanted to fight that. He wanted her to accept him and have the same feelings. He wanted to be able to spend every waking moment her had with her. He wants to take her out on dates, kiss her soft pink lips that were usually shouting about to the world and most of all he wanted her to say that she felt the same way.

"I like you too."

He sat there. He couldn't move or breathe or even function. He was as still as a statue just watching her, trying to decide if what he heard was his own mind playing tricks on him or could it possible that was he heard was real.

Mako giggled, offering him a warm loving smile. "I like you too." She told him again, placing both her hands over his and smiling up at him.

Gamagoori felt a smile of his own take control of his face. For once he did not care of his behavior and threw his arm up in the air, screaming a cry of victory into the night sky. He did not care that his friends were now looking at them, taking pictures and possibly laughing at his ridiculous behavior. He was to overjoyed to care about any of that. To him all that matter was the moment he was sharing with the girl who had made a special place in his heart and he had made one in hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Gamagoori had always considered himself a man of great patients and care. He had always been the one to enforce the rules and make sure the lives of the students were going smoothly. So long as they were obeying the rules that were set for them he was content. But when someone broke those rules or showed blatant disregard he had no qualms about letting his rage out and showing those who dared to disobey the punishment they deserved. He knew he had a temper and he used it every chance he could. After all he had been the disciplinary chairman at Honnouji Academy and he needed to use his temper to help weed out the weak for the battle. If they couldn't handle him yelling at them then there would be no way for them to handle fighting against Ragyo. But after years of expressing himself he found it difficult to keep a calm leveled head when faced with those who still disrespect the rules. With a sharp turn of his head he looked at one of the clocks set up in the park and growled when he saw it was already twenty minutes past the time that he and Mako agreed to meet up. Yesterday after he successfully asked her out she told him that she wanted to go out with him on a date right away. So they agreed to meet up at the park at 12:30 by the fountain. He was standing in front of their meeting place, his arms cross and giving off an air of hostility that had others shying away from him as they passed by.

While he was glad that she wanted to be with him just as much as he wanted to be with her he was nervous about following the proper etiquettes when it came to dating. Having spent most of his teenage years acting at Satsuki's shield and preparing for war he never found felt the desire to look at other woman. He was content with following behind Satsuki Kiryuin and planned to do so until his presences was no longer needed or he perished. But then he had come to meet Mako Mankanshoku and suddenly he found his mind being filled with thoughts of the energetic girl. Now that the battle was over and they were free to live their lives how they wanted he was planning to spend most of his days as her boyfriend now that she has accepted him. There was only one problem with his plan.

He had no idea how to behave as a boyfriend.

Before his first failure of a confession he had spent days researching on all the proper mannerism that every boyfriend needed to follow. He spent countless hours on the internet, reading the latest romance novels, and even bought a few teen magazines that strangely always had columns about the perfect dream guy. After his third day of researching he had become fed up with all the useless information he and threw all of them away. He decided that he needed to gain the experience hands on and not from a trashy magazine. But that didn't mean he was going to forget all the information he looked up. He was going to kept some of what he found useful and put it into action. Like now, he had shown up on the date earlier than the set time but there was no sign of the girl. So far he's been waiting for twenty minutes and he could feel his anger boiling inside, ready to explode when he saw the girl. He tried calming himself, telling him that it was his fault and he shouldn't be angry with her. He was the one who had shown up early, to be more precise he had shown up an hour early. He had woken up that morning at the crack of dawn like he always does and began to prepare for the date. He made to take extra time in the shower to guarantee that he held no traces of body odor. The breakfast he had prepared himself was designed to keep him energized for the whole day. Most of his time was spent trying to pick out what clothes to wear, he didn't want anything that could resemble his old disciplinary clothing. He was proud of his title and style back when he was attending Honnouji Academy he didn't want her to see him as a student and superior. No he wanted to be viewed in her eyes as a man of all men so he had spent extra time to pick out his clothes until he deemed one look to be better than the rest. Finally he had chosen an outfit. A white dress shirt with a black collar and tie topped with a yellow cardigan, tan dress pants and brown shoes. He wore a watch on his right wrist and made sure to keep his whip hidden away. They may no longer be fighting an evil alien race but that didn't mean he couldn't come prepared.

With another glance at the clock on his wrist and the one on the pole in the park he growled when he saw it had now been over a half an hour since their set time. He didn't care if he had shown up an hour early, she should have come ages ago. In all the articles he looked through said that you should always show up to your date five minutes before the set time. He had done that so why hadn't she?

"Gamagoori!"

He turned his head at the sound of her voice but instead of be happy to see that she had arrived for their date he was overcome with annoyance at how happy-go-lucky she looked about being over an hour late. "Mankanshoku," he shouted at her, causing her to come to a halt in front of him. She was startled by his sudden yelling and was confused to what she had done. "Why is it that you can never show up on time? We agreed our date was for 12:30 but you are over a half hour late. Explain yourself." He stood towering over her, arms crossed behind his back as he waited for her to explain herself.

She blinked up at him, big brown eyes staring into his grey ones that were now taking in her tiny figure that had his hands twitching to hold. "Sorry, senpai, I got lost. I'm not used to traveling in other places besides the slums." She told him the truth. The rules that had been set by Satsuki were very strict and any No-Star that was seen in a district that wasn't their own would be punished. This was her first time being in another part of the city that wasn't the slums.

He felt himself freeze over by her reply. How could he have totally forgotten that this was most likely her first time visiting a park! He never felt like more than a fool than he did right now. "I apologize for my ignorance. Please forgive me!" he bowed to her, showing how sorry he was for yelling at her. He should have offered to pick her up instead. Or at the very least pick a spot that she would know how to get too. He was used to being able to drive to the different sections of the town with ease but she obviously wasn't. The date hadn't even started and he managed to mess things up again.

Mako began to laugh when she saw his bowed form. "I'm glad to see that Gamagoori-Senpai is still the same as he was in school," she patted the top part of his head, a happy grin on her face as she spoke. She did a happy spin, loving the feel of her new dress. A white puffy shirt that reached up to her elbows with a blue dress that tied into a cute bow behind her neck that reached past her thighs with four buttons going down the front. She wore white socks with blue heeled scandals that tied around her ankles with a matching pink pursue that had a rabbit face as the clutch. "It's because senpai is senpai that I like him so much." She confessed, showing him the light pink blush that was on her face.

Gamagoori stood there in awe. His own face covered by a blush as he stared at the girl that had just confessed that she liked him because he was him. She hadn't gotten mad at him for yelling or for getting angry to easily. She accepted that was who he was and she still cared for him. In that short span of time the feelings he had for her had grown.

She stretched out her hand towards him, the smile never leaving her face. "Shall we go?"

He stared at her hand for a moment. It was so small and delicate but he has seen those hands in battle and they were like the rest of her. She was strong and brave and not afraid to fight if it meant helping her friends. It was also the very same hand that he had been allowed to hold yesterday and had been hoping to hold once again. "Yes, we shall." He grabbed on, their palms touching and like yesterday felt so right. "Come along, Mankanshoku." He began to walk, leading her in the direction for their date. He stared down at her small happy form and was pleased to see her behaving so happily while with him. Clearing his throat he shifted his eyes back to the path in front of them. "You look nice today." He kept his voice clear and even, trying not to show the nerves that continued to pile on inside his stomach. He still wasn't sure how to properly behave around her in the dating aspect but he would learn fast.

"Thank you. Satsuki helped me pick it out." She told him, doing a little skip as she spoke of her shopping with her friends. In a short amount of time she had grown closer to the former president of Honnouji Academy and it wasn't unusual now for the two girls to be seen together.

Gamagoori held a proud grin on his face. "Satsuki-sama does have exquisite taste." He was pleased that the two woman in his life that he valued dearly were getting along.

"She does, she even picked me out a whole new wardrobe and paid for it." She told him, thinking of all the new clothes she had waiting at home for her. "I'm really grateful for all that she's done, but I wish there was more I could do for her," she gave a small pout, wishing she could help out the woman that was doing so much for her. Gamagoori felt his heart swell with pride at her words. "I'm glad she helped me pick out my outfit today. I wanted to look nice for our date today and Satsuki said you would like this on me. I'm glad I listened to her. I want Gamagoori-senpai to like me as much as I like him."

It felt like his legs stopped working because he felt himself fall to the ground before he could stop himself. It was only when he heard her cry of surprise did he realize what happened. He was sitting on his knees, both of them now at eye level and he had a dazed look on his red as a tomato face. With speed only someone of his size and power could possess he jumped back to his feet in a flash. The embarrassment he felt for doing such a thing couldn't compare to the mini heart attack he was having after hearing her words. He never imagined she would be so forward with her feelings for him and it caught him off guard. Not to say that he wasn't happy about hearing how much she liked him, he was ecstatic. He just wasn't used to others being so kind to him and showing him as much kindness as she does. He was used to keeping his walls up and having everyone at arms length. It's what he had grown used to but he found himself much more open with her and he wasn't sure how much his heart could take. _"I must get past this. I refuse to have her thinking my feelings for her are anything less than true!" _he was a warrior and he was not about to lose to the game of love because he was shy and new to dating. "I like whatever you are wearing!" he hadn't meant to shout but he found it's what he did when faced in situations like this.

Mako only giggled at his behavior. She understood more about the man more than anyone thought. Satsuki had given her a file on him before there date, courtesy of Inumuta but she hadn't read any of it. Mostly because she wasn't big on reading but because she felt she knew enough about him to be with him and what she didn't know, she wanted to learn. They began to walk again, Gamagoori trying to calm his beating heart the whole way.

She noticed this and smiled. She never imagined for him to be so shy with his feelings. She had seen his uniform and it's abilities and how open he was about being a masochist so she figured he would be more open when it came to dating. But she found it rather cute to see him behaving this way. She thought back to what Satsuki and Ryuko had told her this morning before she left for their date. Satsuki had said he was a man of honor and had a troubled past but he wanted to be shown that others care for him. She didn't want him to be nervous around her so she decided to do something that could fix their situation. She moved closer to him and began humming a soft tune as she went. She was pleased when she felt his body relax and the two walked calmly through the park, neither saying anything as she continued to hum.

They passed along a small river that was flowing through the park and she took the opportunity to stare at their reflections as they walked. She saw herself in the water and she had to admit the clothing Satsuki and Ryuko helped pick out where perfect. Yesterday after she told them of her date they had woken her up early this morning to go out shopping and get her some new clothes. Originally she had been planning on wearing a tank top and shorts with her usual purple backpack. Ryuko had deemed it acceptable but when Satsuki came by to check on her she had taken one look at her choice in clothing and dragged the two girls out to do some shopping. That had resulted in most of her old clothes getting thrown out and installing a whole new wardrobe all in the span of an hour. Both she and Ryuko are still trying to figure out how it happened.

She noticed their hands together in the reflection of the water. Her smaller hand was engulfed by his much larger one but she didn't mind. Actually she liked how it looked. They weren't your ordinary couple that you would see on the street everyday. They were different together and that's what she liked best about them. They were unique people so they shouldn't try and act the way others do. Shifting her eyes up she looked at his face in the river, it was as it always is set in a determined fashion. But she could see this one was different from his usual look. He appeared much calmer and she could see the ghost of a smile in his eyes. He was enjoying being with her. She felt her smile widen when she saw just how happy he appeared. She liked seeing him smile. It was something she wanted to continue seeing. _"If only..." _she let her gaze move up to the clear open sky. The sun was shining bright and a few clouds could be seen but it gave off the feel of a perfect upcoming summer day. The perfect day for a date. With a determined smile she decided that she was going to make this the best date either of them ever had!

"I have a favor to ask."

He looked down at her, surprised at her sudden request. He wondered what it was she wanted to ask. Although he had a suspicion it had something to do with food. If that was the case they weren't too far from where he wanted to take her. "What is it?" he would listen and try to do his best to make her request a reality.

She stopped walking, her grip on his hand tightening slightly. "Call me Mako." She looked up at him, big brown eyes that were always carefree and happy were now serious. She wanted him to call her by her first name.

Gamagoori felt his face flush and he started spluttering out incoherent words. He had wanted to make her favor come true but he wasn't sure if he was ready to do that. "W-We've only j-just started dating. That would be over stepping boundaries!" they had only just started out as a couple. This was only their first date. He wouldn't allow himself to overstep the boundaries set by society that could possibly ruin their chances of being together. He didn't want them to progress to fast and break up. He wanted to be with her as long as humanly possible.

She pouted, stepping closer to him. "Please, I really want to hear you say my name." she was no more than an inch away from him, her chest touching against his stomach softly. "We've known each other long enough that it doesn't matter if we've just started dating."

He felt his blood come alive when he felt her soft breasts against his body. He gulped down the desire to pull her closer and feel more. He was a man with very strong desires but he would hold himself back up they were ready to take the next step. He hadn't planned on them going past holding hands today. Not to say that he wasn't hoping for more. He was secretly hoping tonight's date could lead to a kiss. Even a kiss on the cheek would be fine. But he wouldn't push her into doing something she wasn't ready to do. "We...We shall see." He turned his head to the side, trying to push his blush down and get his body back to normal. He didn't want her to notice that her little touches were having such a strong effect on him.

She groaned in the back of her throat. She was hoping he would agree to say her name but it seems he was more reserved than she thought. Ryuko was right, all those years of him serving as Satsuki's shield really made him act like an old man. Suddenly a thought hit her and she smiled up at him. "Can I call you Ira?" if he wouldn't say her name than she should at least be allowed to say his first name.

He froze. That was the first time she had ever said his first name. She usually called him by his last name or senpai. They were the correct formal titles but somehow hearing her say his first name had a different effect. His mind decided to work on its own and began showing him images of her saying his name in different ways. The two of them going on dates as she calls to him to look at something that caught her eye. The two of them strolling the town at night, her softly whispering his name as sleep began to overcome her. Her moaning out his name as the two made love together in his bed. All he kept hearing was _Ira. Ira. Ira. Ira. Ira. _and her sweet voice saying it the whole time.

He fell to his knees once more.

**~X~**

Night had fallen and the two were driving back to her house. The date had gone off without a hitch. So long as you didn't count him falling over and screaming in embarrassment every time she said his first name. He still couldn't believe he had fallen out of his chair at the restaurant he had taken her too because she had asked him to pass the salt and called him Ira. He needed to control himself and stop the fantasies. At that time his mind just had to show him a image of the two of them, eating dinner together as husband and wife. It had happened more than once on their date but now he felt himself starting to get used to it. He was allowing her to call him Ira mostly because it made her happy and because he liked hearing her say his name. Other than those few complications he was quite proud to say their date went smoothly. He had requested a private booth in the restaurant he had taken her too. The owner of the place knew who he was and made sure to give them the best service and food they had to offer. Mako had been ecstatic and ate every single platter that had been brought out to them. Money would never be an issue when it came to making her happy. He had a good amount saved away from years ago. He never felt the need to go out to fancy places or spend money on useless objects that would only collect dust. But now he had a reason to spend the money and he found himself proud that he had saved it all.

The two of them were currently sitting in his car as he drove them down her street. Her and her family had moved out of the slums and were currently living in a nice house. Honnouji Academy is no longer needed so the entire area has been removed. Now everyone is living new lives in new homes provided by the Kiryuin family. The elite four no longer had palaces as their homes but styles much more suited for them. They all now lived in condos designed specifically for them on the top floor a=of buildings owned by the Kiryuin family. He was glad that she was living in such a nice area and not back in the slums. There were a few times when he found himself worrying for her living in such a dangerous place while he had all the luxuries fit for a king. But now things were different and they could all experience new things everyday if they liked. He snuck a sideways glance to see her bouncing happily in his car, singing a song to herself and utterly enjoying the ride home. He was glad. Even if her singing wasn't his favorite he was just pleased that she was so happy.

"Hmm?" his attention was taken off her and onto the bright lights and orange traffic cones that were blocking her street. "Road repairs?" he hadn't been informed of any road work going on today. Even if Satsuki and them weren't running the town they still were responsible for most of the rebuilding and there was nothing on the schedule that said this street was in need of work.

"Maybe a pipe burst?" she spoke up, having stopped her singing when the car came to a halt and she say a sign that said the road was closed.

He frowned, it was the logical thought but something was telling him that there was more to this. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if they were being set up for a trap. He scanned the area and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "Well, I guess I'll just get out here." His focus was abruptly brought back to Mako as she jumped out of his car and began walking towards the closed road. "Hold it!" He jumped after her, pulling at her arm before she could cross over. "Where are you going?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "Home." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He bite back a growl, annoyed by her answer and the events that were happening. "I'll drive you back another way." He escorted her back to his car, turned on the engine and sped off around the corner to take a different route. Only each time he did this he was stopped by a road block, saying the street was closed. He growled in frustration and anger. This was no ordinary road work. Someone was purposely setting up these road blocks. He was about to call Inumuta and see what was going on when he heard the passenger's side door open and saw Mako about to get out. He stared at her for a moment, eyes demanding that she stay where she was. With a soft squeal she closed the door and gave a nervous giggle as she sat back down in her seat. With a deep frown and a twitch of an eyebrow he dialed his friend's number and waited for him to pick up, only to denied and have his answering machine pick up instead. With yet another growl he threw his phone in the back seat of his car and gripped his steering wheel, temptation to drive through the road blocking signs and crush them began coursing through him.

"It's getting late," Mako spoke up in her seat, feeling brave enough that he wouldn't start shouting. "My curfew is for midnight." She said, glancing at the clock that read 11:45.

Gamagoori felt his blood boil over even more now. He was a man of principles and he refused to allow himself to deliver her home late, and on their first date no less. But what could he do? The road was block and the only entrance to the sidewalk was too narrow for someone of his side to walk on. He couldn't get through and even if he somehow managed to squeeze himself through he would have to be careful as he walked and that would still result in her getting home past curfew. He ground his teeth together, one hand drumming against the steering wheel as he tried to think of something that could help him. He finally thought of an idea. "Call, Matoi. Tell her to come out and meet you."

Mako jumped in her seat, eyes gleaming. "That's a great idea!" she did a small happy dance before she calmed down. "But I don't have a phone." Her family was just starting off with having money and most of it had gone to buying the furniture, food, and other items that they needed. She and Ryuko saw no need to have a phone since they were always together. Without hesitation he reached into the back of his car and handed her his cell which she took with a happy grin. She dialed the number of her home and waited as it rang. "Hi, Ryuko. Can you come meet me outside? The ends of our street is blocked off so Ira can't drop me off. I know, I called him Ira. Isn't it great!" she squealed into the phone and he blushed once more. "Ok, I'll meet you halfway. See you in a bit." With more enthusiasm than necessary she pressed the end button and handed the phone back to Gamagoori who looked at her in concern.

"Why is Matoi not coming to get you here?" he asked, annoyed that the girl would allow her friend to walk the empty streets by herself. Even if it was only halfway he was still concerned.

"Because I asked her too," she jumped out of the car and was pleased to see that he followed after her. She did a quick spin before placing her hands behind her back and smiled up at him. "I wanted to spend a few more moments with you before I had to go." She told him softly.

He was a little shocked to hear this. Usually she was always excited to be by her friend's side and didn't care if she was in the presences of others. He felt his heart swell a little knowing that she wanted to be with him a little longer. With a smile of his own he took hold of her hand again, his thumb running small circles on her smooth skin. "I want to spend more time with you too." It was true. If it was possible he would have this date continuing on till morning but there were rules he had to follow and he did not want to disrespect her family's boundaries.

"Ira," she called to him, a wide smile on her face as she gestured him to come down to her height level. He stared at her for a moment before complying and leaned down until their eyes met. With quick movements she kissed his cheek, giggling when she pulled back and saw his now glowing face. He straightened himself out instantly, one hand going to his cheek that had been kissed. He could still feel the soft touch of her lips on his skin. "I had a great time today," placing her hands behind her back once more she leaned on the back of her heels and stared up at the sky. "When I thought that you liked Ryuko I was planning to support to two because she is my best friend and I want her to be happy. And I know any girl would be happy with you. But I knew deep down in my heart that I wouldn't be able to completely support you two because I liked you too. I was worried if by feeling that way would make me a bad friend," she looked up to him, the moon above reflecting in her eyes but all he saw was the emotion she was showing him in her big brown eyes. "I'm glad that I don't have to be a bad friend and that you like me as much as I like you. It makes me really happy." She gave him the biggest smile she could muster. She wanted him to understand just how happy he made her today.

It felt like his heart was about to start. Hearing her say such things, and with such a serious tone, made him want to hold her tight in his arms and never let her go. She was so pure and innocent and kind to everyone around her. Her whole family was. Despite not having much money they took in Ryuko and always made sure she was happy and content in their home. It was a family full of love for themselves and everyone around them. It was not something he was used too. Growing up his mother was always working so his aunt and uncle helped in a lot to raise him. He had been bullied too. Despite his size he was coward back then, the other kids taking advantage of that and always reminding him that he was different. It had been his uncle who gave him the earrings he wore now that helped him find the courage to stand up to the bullies and find strength in himself. Now standing before him was a girl that has accepted him. She knows he's different and it's because he's different that she loves him. "Please wait one moment," he ran to his car and opened up the glove compartment. He pulled out the small white box that had been placed inside and stared at it for a moment before coming back over and handing the small parcel to her. "I want you to have this." He could feel his nerves acting up again but he didn't let them bother him. She had just confessed her feelings and he wanted to do the same. He wanted her to see that he cared for her just as much she cared for him.

With slow movements she took the box from his hands and held them in hers. The box was a plain white box that gave no indication of where it might have been purchased from. She opened the lid and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a blue locket in the shape of a rabbit's head resting on cotton in the middle of the box. With great care she picked up the locket by the chain it was on and held it in the palm of her hand, her fingers running over the smooth melt.

"I have an uncle who's a metalworker. I asked him to make this for you. I was planning to give this you on your birthday but I want you to have this now." He truly hadn't been planning to give this her until it was her birthday but something in him said that she needed to have it now.

Mako didn't say anything. She wasn't too sure if she could speak at this point. She hadn't been expecting this. For him to give her a custom made locket designed specifically for her. Opening the small latch on the locket she looked inside to see there was a small clock and once she opened it a song began to play. It was an unknown melody but it made her heart swell with an emotion she wasn't used to feeling. "It's so pretty..." that was an understatement. It was beautiful and really thoughtful and all she wanted to do was throw her arms around his broad shoulders and never let go. But according to the small clock in her hand she didn't have time to do that.

"I asked my uncle to add the melody. I wasn't sure what song was your favorite so I asked my mother to pick out one that you might like." He had to admit it was a little awkward speaking to his mother with the matter of Mako. He hadn't been in contact with his family as much as he should be. When he was still preparing for the battle against Ragyo he had been fully expecting to perish and he had hoped that by separating himself from his relatives it would make it easier for them to accept that he had died. But now the war between the Life Fibers was over and he was slowly starting to speak with more with his family. The moment his mother learned he was having his uncle make a locket for a girl she bombarded him with questions. He told her everything that she wanted to know and it had been her suggestion to add music to the locket. He was grateful that he listened to her because by the look on Mako's face told him that she loved it. "If you like I can have the melody changed to something that prefer." He was starting to get a little nervous that she wasn't saying much. He was used to the girl who was always shouting out what she was thinking and feeling. So for her to suddenly get all quiet unnerved him a bit.

Mako quickly shook her head, placing the locket around her neck where it rested against her chest. "I love it," she was beaming from head to toe in happiness. "The music makes me think of two people dancing together at a wedding." She said, a dreamy look in her eyes as she imagined a bride and groom dancing together on a sparkling dance floor surrounded by dozens of tables of food. She could already feel herself drooling.

His large body stiffen when she said that. He never imagined her to bring up the subject of marriage so early in their dating. Not that he minded. It was normal for girls to think of marriage but was she implying that she wanted to marry him or was he just misinterpreting her innocent comment for something else? He couldn't be sure and he didn't want to say something that could make things awkward between them. He was sure of his feelings, he had fallen in love with Mako but he didn't know if her feelings for him extended that far. He was willing to wait. They had only just started dating and he would wait for years until she felt comfortable enough to tell him that she loved him too.

But even if he was willing to wait he wanted to do all that he could now to see her happy. He was pleased at how happy she was with his gift and he wanted to continue to be the reason for her to smile. Even now seeing how happy she was as she hummed along to the melody made him glad that he asked his family for help. She seemed to notice him staring because she took her gaze off the locket and onto him.

In that moment, silence overtook them. They just stood there, staring into the other's eyes as the full moon shined down at them. Mako stood on the top of her toes, eyes closed and lip puckered up at him. He felt his heart speed up when he saw her asking for a kiss. Swallowing his nerves he closed his own eyes and lowered his head down enough for their lips to brush against each other. It was only for a moment and they barely touched but they felt it. A spark ran through their bodies that had them wrapping their arms around each other and deepening the kiss. They kept it sweet and innocent but it was enough for them. It was only their first kiss but it held enough passion in it to last them until their next kiss. They stayed there, kissing beneath the full moon until the need for air became too great and they were forced to pull away. Both of them with a smile on their face as they pulled back, panting slightly and looking completely dazed. With one last quick kiss they parted ways. She walked behind the road blocking signs as he sat in his car, waiting until he couldn't see her anymore before driving off. The smile on his face never leaving as he thought of their first date. He realized halfway that he never asked her for a second date and felt foolish for forgetting something so important but he wouldn't let it bother him. The night was too perfect for him to get upset over a small matter. Besides he was planning on spending tomorrow with her. He was sure that he could ask her for another date after their graduation ceremony.

**~X~**

Mako hummed a happy tune to herself as she walked down the empty street. She felt like she was on a cloud with how giddy she felt from kissing him. She was glad with today's events and how things ended. "He didn't ask me out on a second date," She mused to herself. Ryuko nowhere in sight because she hadn't called the girl. She had dialed a fake number and pretended to hold a conversation with her best friend. "It's for the best. I don't think I could have given him a second date." She leaned against a wall of someone's home. Her body suddenly becoming heavy as tears gathered in her eyes. She was only a few feet away from her house but she knew she wouldn't be able to make it. She was losing energy, as well as her conscious, fast. She began to pant, trying to fight it but found it was pointless. Small whimpers left her as she looked on, seeing the lights on in her house and hearing the happy noises coming from inside. "Mom, Dad, Mataro, Guts, Ryuko, Ira. Thank you, for everything." Her body began to glow a bright red and the pain began overtook her body. She cried out but no sound came from her throat because her body was fading away. She was disappearing from this world and from the memories of her friends and family. The only trace of her ever being there was a blue rabbit locket that fell to the ground with a soft clink as it hit the pavement.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a day of celebration and pride as the entire student body stood in the what was once the grounds of Honnouji Academy. After the battle Satsuki had the entire school and city demolished and sunk it to the bottom of the bay. But now it was time for graduation and both Satsuki and Nudist Beach decided they should hold the ceremony atop where the former school and town once stood. They were on a high class ship with so many levels and rooms that a few people had gotten lost and search parties had to be sent out looking for them. But now everyone was on the deck, a stage set up for Satsuki, the Elite Four, and Ryuko. Normally it would just be the student council on stage but everyone felt that Ryuko should be up there for all the work she did into stopping Ragyo. The entire town had shown up for the graduation, even some of the students who had been expelled had come to receive a diploma. It was the starting point of their new lives.

And yet Ryuko felt like something was off.

She sat there, dressed in black dress pants, a white long sleeve dress shirt with black heels. She had been more than content with wearing a pair of jeans but now she was glad that she hadn't. Everyone was dressed to their best and she was glad that she had listened to her sister. She felt herself blush a little when she thought of Satsuki as her sister. She had spent so much of her time hating the girl and planning to fight her but now it felt nice to know they were related. It was only her and her father growing up but she never really spent any time with the man to say they had an actual relationship. She still loved the man but she wished she could have known him better. But now she wasn't alone, she had her sister and a family to belong too.

So why does it feel like she's still missing something?

This morning she had woken up in her room in the penthouse that Satsuki was living in and it felt wrong. It felt like she had gone to sleep someplace else and had woken up there. All her stuff had been there and Satsuki had said she's been living there ever since Ragyo was defeated but something still felt off. As she was getting dressed she looked all around her room, trying to pinpoint what it was that was bothering her. She still missed Senketsu and would miss him for the rest of her life but she had grown used to knowing that the two would never meet again. The scissor blade that her father created had been lost in the battle and was most likely at the bottom of the sea with the academy. She was fine with not having that but it still felt like there was something missing. Like she was forgetting something important. Something that had been a major part of her life.

If only she knew that she wasn't the only one feeling that way. Gamagoori was sitting in his seat, next to his three other friends with his arms crossed and his always serious look on his face. It was a joyous day. They won the war, everyone had survived and despite being the age of twenty he was graduating but he found he couldn't fully enjoy himself. It irritated him that he was feeling so off about today. To him it felt like there should be another person up there with them but everyone who had taken part in the war was up there. The only ones who chose to remain off the stage were those from Nudist beach. Every student and their family had shown up, he knew every one of their faces and who they were but as she scanned the crowd again his gut was telling him that someone was missing. Perhaps that was why he felt so off? He knew a student was missing and he felt it was his duty to discipline them. It was a theory that made sense but not matter how badly he racked his brain he couldn't think of the student that was missing. But there was another thing that was bothering him. If a student was indeed skipping out on graduation he should be feeling annoyed and anger. But all he felt was worry. His heart was telling him that something wasn't right. He felt his body tense up even more at the thought and felt around that his whip was at his side. He wore a black dress shirt with a yellow tie and tan dress pants. He was dressed for the occasion but he was prepared for battle.

Ryuko noticed Gamagoori fiddling with his whip and the look in his eyes as he looked over the audience. _"So I'm not the only one feeling this way." _She didn't like this. Something was definitely wrong here and she wasn't the only one feeling that way. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out what the problem was. What was missing? Or for that matter who? It was a person, that's for sure. Someone who was supposed to be there with them wasn't there. But who was it? And why did she care so much?

"The ceremony is about to start," Satsuki stood up from her seat, a white dress on her body with her now short hair pulled back into a tight bun. "Will you be alright?" she looked down at her younger sister, worry for her coursing through her veins. Since this morning she had been acting strange and it worried her. That worry had only grown when she saw Gamagoori acting the same way.

Ryuko had to swallow before she could answer. "Yeah," it was a lie. She wasn't alright because the more time that passed the more anxious she got.

Satsuki didn't believe her but what more could she do. "And you?" she set her gaze to Gamagoori who was just as tense and nervous as her sister. "Will you be fine?"

Gamagoori straightened himself out but his body still remained tense. "I will be fine." Or he would be once he figured out who was missing. He refused to be the cause for ruining this day but he wished he could figure out who was missing so he could relax and not spoil the graduation that Satsuki had fought so hard for.

"Very well then." There was no more that she could do. It was obvious to all they both Ryuko and Gamagoori were not fine and were in fact nervous over a certain matter but if they were not willing to admit it then she couldn't do anymore than follow their wishes and proceed with the graduation. She could only hope that as the day passed they would begin to feel better.

And so she began her speech, her booming voice reaching everyone who was on the ship and catching their undivided attention. Even Gamagoori stopped his search to focus on her but he told himself once it was over he would put all his energy into finding out who was missing.

Ryuko was the only one not paying attention to her sister and her speech. She knew she could figure this out if she just focused. There was somebody missing, someone important. Whoever they were they had to have made a great impact on her life for her to feel this way about them not being there. But if they were really that special to her than why couldn't she remember them. _"What's going on here!?" _she put her head in her hands and closed her eyes, trying to focus on remembering this person with all she strength. She covered her ears and went through every memory she had from as far back as she could remember but nothing was sticking out to her. The only thing that bothered her were her memories of being at Honnouji Academy and how choppy they felt. It was like she remembered her time there but at the same time she couldn't remember all of it. Where was she staying for the months she attended the school? She hadn't been living on the streets the whole time. No, she had met someone. Someone from that school had befriend her and offered to let her stay with them. It was almost as if she could remember them but they were hidden behind a shadow. The key to figuring out this is to remember who that was but as she went through every memory since arriving at the academy she couldn't find any traces of who it was that she had met there. It was as if they had vanished.

_"Ryuko-Chan!" _

She gasped, eyes shooting wide open. She jumped out of her chair, startling Satsuki and had every staring at her. But she hadn't noticed or cared. _"That voice..." _she knew that voice. It was so loud and sweet and cheery and so very familiar. She started to look through the audience again, wide blue eyes looking at every face on the entire ship when she spotted them. One family who was focusing on anything other than the buffet table and stuffing their faces. They were eating so much and so fast it was amazing they hadn't choked already. Even the dog they had brought with them was eating just as fast and with as much enthusiasm. She felt her heart clench when she saw them. Throwing off her heels she jumped off the stage running towards them, pushing past all the people that were in her way. She ignored the calls of her sister and friends, she had to reach this family.

They finally seemed to notice her when she stopped directly in front of them, panting as if she had run a marathon. Her head hurt as she stared at them. She knew them. Deep in her heart she knew who these people were but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't think of their names or find their faces in her memory. The woman of the family had stepped towards her, a plates of food in her hands and a gentle smile on her face. "Are you feeling ok sweetie? Would you like something to eat?" she offered her the plate of food without batting an eyelash. The woman had light brown hair wrapped in a bun with big brown eyes.

Ryuko looked at the plate of food. They were croquettes but they had fish tails and bones and other things sticking out of them. To any other person they wouldn't look anywhere near editable but she felt her mouth begin to water as a familiar taste come over. She has eaten this before.

"I know they don't look like much but I promise you my mysterious croquettes will be the best thing you've eaten all day." She said with pride as she offered the girl before her the plate of food she had made for her family.

Ryuko felt like she wanted to cry. She this woman. She had eaten her food before. She has felt the love of this entire family. So why couldn't she remember them? Why couldn't she remember?!

_" Mama's mysterious croquettes are the best. Ryuko-Chan, once you eat them you'll have all the strength you need to win!" _

She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes as she saw herself eating lunch at the academy. But she wasn't alone. There was someone with her but they were hidden by the shadows. She felt bile gather in her throat but she chocked it down, she couldn't afford to get sick. Not now that she was finally starting to piece together her missing memories. Her hands went up and clenched her hair, trying to force herself once more to try and remember who it was that she was forgetting but it was like something was stopping her. As if something was blocking her memories. _"I have to remember. I just have too!" _she glared at the ground, wishing more than ever Senketsu was with her to help her figure this out.

Just when it felt like she was going to lose it she saw it. A pink mouse sitting before her, staring up at her with an eye patch in its mouth. Slowly she reached one hand out to pick it up and examined the patch. She felt the smooth fabric, turning it over to get more of a look at the piece and gasped. "This is...?!" It was the very same eye patch he father had always worn. She looked at the pink mouse and sure enough it was the same one that had always been resting on his shoulders before he died. She had always assumed that it had died in the fire along with her father but it was alive and strangely it brought her the eye patch. "You want me to wear this?" You would think she would feel awkward for talking to a mouse but after months of talking to a uniform she sort of got used to talking to things like this. The mouse seemed to nod it small head and claimed atop her own shoulder as she placed the eye patch over her right eye.

In that instant it was as if her brain had been struck by lightning. Pain entered her body, making her cry out from the pain that she was experiencing but with the pain came what she had been missing. Her memories were there as well. Somehow the eye patch was showing her all the images she had forgotten. Her finding Senketsu, fighting against the four Devas, her and Satsuki battling against each other and then Ragyo. She saw herself passing out from blood lose and waking up in the Mankanshoku family household and meeting...!

"Mako!"

She could see beyond the shadows now. The always happy and bright girl who befriended her on the first day and welcomed her into her family without a second thought. The girl who was always getting kidnapped but was strong enough to create giant craters and fight against an entire army of COVERS. The girl who had become her best friend and who she considered to be family.

"Mako!"

She ran around the deck, twisting and turning through the crowd in a desperate attempt to find her best friend. Tears fell from her eyes when she realized that she was missing and something terrible must have happened for her and everyone to forget about the girl. So continued to call out for the girl, pushing anyone aside that got in her way of her search for her best friend. "Mako!" She cried out, pleading for her friend to suddenly appear.

"Mako?" the entire Mankanshoku family had stopped eating when they heard that name and saw Ryuko searching frantically. Horror came over every one of their faces when their own memories came crashing back to them. "Mako!" they screamed, yelling and searching for their missing daughter.

The five of them now running all through the deck, searching for the lost girl.

"Ryuko," Satsuki jumped towards her sister, placing two hands on her shoulders to hold her in place. "You need to calm down."

Ryuko smacked both her hands away in anger. "I can't calm down until I find her!"

"Who? Ryuko, who is it that you're searching for?" she didn't understand what her little sister was going on about.

Ryuko felt her anger flare up. Why is it that no one can remember Mako? What made them all forget her? Smacking her sister's hands off her she raced towards the stage, pointing an accusing finger at Gamagoori. "What did you do with her? Where is Mako!?"

Gamagoori sat there, confused as to why she was looking at him as if he committed an unspeakable crime. She thought he had something to do with the person she was looking for but he had made it his duty to protect the people around him, not do away with them. "Mako?" all he did was say her name but somehow it was like using a magic spell that made him remember all that he had forgotten. He was on his feet in an instant, his larger build allowing him to see over the entire deck and all the students and families that were there. "Mankanshoku!" he remembered. The terrible feeling he had all day of someone missing finally became clear because someone was missing. Someone who meant the world to him.

Soon enough everyone began to remember the missing petite brown-haired optimistic girl. They were all on their feet, calling for the girl and trying to search for her or come up with a reason as to why they had all forgotten about her. Inumuta pulled out his laptop, hacking into every security camera in the town to search for any evidence of the girl as Sanageyama used his sharp eyes to search around the boat and bay. Nonon was by Satsuki's side, ordering all the students on deck to start forming search parties and once they reached land they would spread out through the entire city to look for the girl.

Ryuko pushed past both her sister and other three Devas and stood in front of Gamagoori, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and standing on the tips of her toes to look him in the face. "What did you do with Mako!"

"I didn't do anything to her." He was appalled that she thought he would do anything to the girl. He made it his duty to protect all the students and that protection applied even more to Mako. He would protect the students but he would go above and beyond for her. "I would never hurt her." He all but growled out, his blood boiling with the rage that wanted to be let out.

"You were the last one to see her! Admit it, you did something to her." She gripped his shirt so tight that it was beginning to tare but that only made her tighten her hold on him even more. She would not let him go until he confessed what he did to her friend and tell her where she is.

He was beginning to get angry by her accusations. "I told you that I didn't do anything to her. I would never hurt her," this time he was the one to grab her, lifting her up to his eye level by the front of her shirt and glared. "I dropped her off last night after out date. The ends of her street were blocked off and she called you to meet her halfway. So tell me why she is missing when you should have been with her!" he could remember everything so clearly now. Their date last night and the kiss they shared. He felt so ashamed with himself for forgetting such an important matter but now he remembered and he would not let himself get blamed for harming the girl he loved.

Ryuko growled, kicking him in the chest to be released from his grip. All it did was make her foot ache with pain when she made contact with something metal instead of flesh. She should have known he would be wearing a metal armor underneath his clothes. "Mako never called me. And our street wasn't blocked off!" this time she used both her feet to push herself away from him to get out of his hold.

"Actually it was," Inumuta interrupted them, fingers typing away fiercely on his laptop. He quickly spun it around to show the group the video he had found. "I was able to find the traffic camera footage from last night and according to this all the streets leading to the Mankanshoku household was blocked off," He pressed play to show Mako and Gamagoori standing in front of her blocked off street, kissing each other before parting ways as the girl disappeared behind the signs. "The roadblock was placed there by someone and whoever did it also removed all the security cameras that were on the street." He shut the laptop, adjusting his glasses as he did so. He felt slightly annoyed that someone had managed to get passed him and his security system. He had designed it himself and under orders from Satsuki he had made sure that the street where Ryuko and Mako were living had extra security cameras. But somehow all footage from yesterday had been removed and he couldn't pull up any other footage than of that one moment just before she disappeared.

"But she called for Matoi to pick her up. I saw her." Gamagoori was baffled. He heard the phone ringing when he gave the girl his cell.

"She dialed a fake number." Inumuta may not have access to the cameras but he was able to pull up Gamagoori's phone records and saw that the last call made was for an unregistered number.

"But why would the slacker call a fake number?" Nonon had her hands on her hip, a frown set on her face as they all tried to figure out the mystery.

"Perhaps she knew that she was in danger and didn't want to put others in harm's way." Sanageyama spoke next, trying to rationalize the situation of what the girl had been thinking in her final moments before she went missing.

"I agree," Satsuki stepped forward, her two swords in her hands already as she looked at the faces of her friends and sister. "This was no accident. Mako Mankanshoku was taken for a reason and somehow she discovered the plot and allowed herself to be taken so not to put us in any danger." She thought highly of the girl and her actions. She managed to make them all believe that everything was fine when in reality she knew of the danger she was in and none of them had picked up on it. "I have already contacted the Kiryuuin family task force and by the time we reach land the entire nation of Japan will be searching for her."

"You're as serious as always." The sound of laughter was heard that had everyone jumping into action, readying themselves for an attack. This only caused the laughter to increase as a shadowy figure descended down from the air. The figure of a petite girl landed in front of them dressed in pink but kept her face hidden by a pink umbrella. It had the entire audience running in fear to the lower desks to escape. The only ones to remain were the five of them on stage, Mako's family, Aikuro, and Tsumugu.

"Nui Harime!"

They all gasped in horror. The girl who had been Ragyo's right hand was back from the dead. They had seen her give up her body and become consumed but somehow she managed to survive and was back.

"You have some nerve showing your face, bitch." Ryuko was the first to jump of the stage, his hands balled into fists. She didn't have her uniform or scissor blades but she didn't care. She would take her on barehanded without any hesitation. "What did you do with Mako!" she didn't know how the girl had survived, and she didn't care, but she knew that she had something to do with her best friend's disappearance.

Nui began balancing on the back of her pink heels giggling as she did so. "Honesty, why you people care for such an ugly girl I'll never understand. The only good qualities about her were her boobs."

This comment had Gamagoori fuming. He landed next to Ryuko, causing a giant dent in the deck and making the boat rock at the impact. "Stop trying to sink the ship you stupid oversized toad!" Nonon yelled at him for being so reckless but he didn't pay her any mind. His focus was solely on Nui and the comment she had made. "If you say one more thing about Mankanshoku, I'll rip out your tongue!" he pulled out his whip, already using it to attack the girl but she easily jumped out of its path.

"My oh my, somebody sure is testy," she only laughed at his behavior. Finding his angered state rather amusing. "But you really should be more careful," she moved the umbrella out of her way, closing it to show them her face. They all stared in horror at what they saw. "After all if you attack me you'll be attacking this ugly girl as well." Standing before them was Nui Harime in Mako's body. She was dressed in Nui's usual pink outfit with the bow on the left side of her brown hair that now had blonde streaks in it. The purple eye patch covering her left eye and her clear blue eye staring at them. She was smiling at them, beaming her happy grin that was once so innocent but was now tainted. The only remnants of their old friend was the short brown hair and the facial features, but everything else had been transformed to look like Nui's old form.

Gamagoori felt his body grow still at the sight before him. His whip falling from his hold as he looked at the body of the girl he loved being used by someone so vile. He felt his anger build but he couldn't move. He wanted to be rid of Nui once and for all but that meant hurting Mako and the mere thought of her getting injured had his mind shutting down.

"Mako..." Ryuko felt like she was going crazy. Her best friend was standing before her but it wasn't really her. It was her body but she was now taken over by one of their greatest enemies. "What did you do?" she growled, her hands tightening to the point that she drew blood. "What did you do to Mako!?" she yelled out, wishing now more than ever she had ended the girl's life so that this event would have never happened.

Nui just laughed again. She knew seeing this group again would help keep her entertained. "I'm just borrowing her body," she did a slow spin, showing off the figure to the group as she ran her hands over the body. "After all I am the one who made her."

Satsuki jumped in front of her sister and old friend, one of her swords pointed at the girl as she focused her gaze on her. "What do you mean you created her?" she wanted answers and she wanted them now. She could feel Ryuko's eyes glaring at her back for pointing a sword at her friend but she didn't let it bother her. She had a feeling that she would need the swords to defend herself and everyone around her. That may be Mako's body but it Nui controlling her and the girl was a danger to them all.

Nui's one eye grew in size when she saw Satsuki pointing the sword at her but it was from curious wonder instead of the fear that should have been there. "You still haven't changed. I'm happy to see that," she leaned forward, hands behind her back as she smiled at the girl. "Although I must admit I'm sad to see you cut your hair. You were so much prettier with long hair." Satsuki now held up both swords at the girl, showing that she was not amused by what the girl was doing. Nui wasn't fazed by any of this. "I suppose I should tell you since you seem so focused on this plain girl. Ok, it's story time!" she jumped into the air, one fist raised as she laughed at her antics. She pulled out a picture book and opened the large book and showed them the empty pages that were slowly showing them images. "Once upon a time Lady Ragyo had a daughter that was very bad and was building a rebellion in hopes to take down her mother in secret but Lady Ragyo knew all along so in order to keep an eye on her disobedient daughter she asked me to design a doll to keep an eye on her. So I designed a doll that was so utterly boring and plain that she wouldn't catch the attention of Satsuki or any of her lackeys. It was such a shame that one of my creations couldn't be glorious but since Lady Ragyo asked I did what she wanted. Of course doing so I had to place her in a living environment that could keep an eye on Satsuki without her catching on that I placed a doll in her school. So I killed the daughter of a useless family and replaced everyone's memories of her and made them believe the doll I created had always been there."

The entire Mankanshoku family felt their blood run cold and their hearts stop at her words. They didn't believe a word she said. Mako was their daughter, they had raised her and loved her. But suddenly they could see another girl, one with waist length light brown hair and soft chocolate brown eyes who was soft spoken and quiet but very kind. "Usagi...?" Sukuyo fell to her knees, her hands covering her faces as the tears fell. She remembered. The daughter that she had, the one she had given birth too and raised until the memories of her were gone and replaced by the ones of Mako. "Usagi!" she cried, falling forward and wailing for the loss of her daughter that she had never had the time to mourn for. Mataro and Guts by her side, trying hard to hold back their own tears but failing as they tried to comfort the woman.

Barzao stared at the ground, his eyes blank as all the memories they had forgotten had now come back. "I remember..." he pulled out his wallet, it was empty of any money as usual but inside was a pick of his family. It was of the four of them, plus Guts, all standing outside their old home in the slums. It had been taken Mako's first day of school but instead of Mako standing there her image was replaced with that of Usagi. "I became a doctor after she died," he sat down, legs crossed as he stared sadly down at the picture. "It was so strange. I just had this sudden urge to help people when I had no experience or knowledge in the medical field. I just wanted to keep others from dying." Now he understood why he had chosen to become a doctor. His mind had forgotten his daughter when she was killed but his heart hadn't and it was what lead him to become a doctor. He began to cry, mourning for the loss of their forgotten daughter.

Nui nodded, looking bored with the family and their reaction. "Yes, it's all true. But it's not like your real daughter was anything special," she scoffed, annoyed that they were taking the matter of such a boring girl so serious. "Not that this one was anything special either. In all honesty she was just supposed to be a doll that could be used during the invasion but I realized during the cultural festival that she was defective," she sighed, stretching her arms over her head and looked tired. As if telling them this part of the story was such a straining thing for her. "The doll that was supposed to remain just that began to have a will of her own." She looked down at the body she was in, disgust written all over her face as she spoke. "She began to form bonds with the people around her and started to act as if she was really human. Never knowing that she was really a stupid toy that was supposed to be thrown away. Ryuko, I have to admit my anger on this subject goes out to you. Because you came and befriended this thing it started to gain a will of its own and then it had to go an fall in love with this stupid oversized mountain man. Those feelings only made it act more and more like a human and defying the will of Lady Ragyo." She ran her hands up and down the body, her disgust for the girl increasing as she told the story. "I kept trying to dispose of it but this one kept getting in my way." She pointed at Gamagoori and grinned. She saw the horrorstricken look on his face, the glazed over eyes that were glistening with tears. She had hoped they would give her amusing reactions and so far she wasn't disappointed.

Ryuko stood there, her breathe turning ragged as she listened to the story of her friend's origin. It had to be a lie. Mako was not a doll. She was real and the two of them were friends. Nui was just messing with them, trying to catch them off guard. "It's not true,"she shook her head, the tears falling once more as she tried to calm herself down but the anger was just too great. She was shaking in rage and in pain. "It can't be true!" she let out a fierce cry as she raced past Satsuki and charged at Nui.

"Now that's no good," Nui did a swift kick and sent the girl flying to the ground. The force of the impact made her grunt in pain and had her cough up a small amount of blood. "Without your uniform you don't stand a chance against me." She giggled, picking up the wounded girl by the collar of her shirt.

"Ryuko!" Satsuki cried out for her sister, running towards the two with her swords ready to attack. However she was blocked by the umbrella and sent flying backwards with a powerful force that made her unable to steady herself. Sanageyama and Inumuta got behind her to catch her but both were thrown backwards with her and landed against the side of the boat, knocking the two men out. Nonon ran towards them, helping Satsuki get to her feet and checking them all for injuries.

This seemed to awaken Gamagoori from the trance he had entered. He looked at his friends and saw Satsuki trying to regain her balance from the attack she had taken. He immediately grabbed his whip and charged at the girl who dared to hurt the woman he had sworn to protect and act as her shield. "You will pay for that!" he was the impenetrable shield of Satsuki and he refused to stand back and let her get hurt.

Nui saw this and decided to have a bit of fun before it was time for her to go. "Gamagoori-senpai, please don't hurt me." She cried out, talking and acting as Mako did when she was with the older man. This caused him to stop. He was frozen, his mind telling him to attack the woman that was their enemy but his heart told him that even if it was Nui he could never do anything that could harm to Mako. He closed his eyes, putting his whip down and silently admitting defeat.

Nui grinned at the sight and with the use of her umbrella sent him flying off the boat and into the bay. "Such a shame. I was hoping to have a bit more fun before I had to go," she turned her attention back to Ryuko who was staring at her. Her one visible eye was ablaze with anger but behind that was sadness. She didn't want to believe it but her best friend was gone and this monster had taken over. Nui only smiles at the sight and kissing the angered girl. "I hope the next time we meet you'll be more fun to play with." She drops her injured body to the ground and jumps away, laughing the entire time.

Ryuko just laid there, her one visible eye that was once filled with anger was now blank. "Mako..." she curled up into a fetal position, whimpering at the pain from her wounds but her heart was in much more pain. "...come back. Please, don't leave me." She felt herself lose consciousness. From the pain or the shock she didn't know and didn't actually care. All she wanted was for this to be a bad dream and that when she wakes up Mako will be back and with her Senketsu as well.


	4. Chapter 4

_It was cloudy out today. It wasn't an unusual sight to the sky filled with clouds when at Honnouji Academy but something about today felt different. Ryuko strangely couldn't take her eyes off the sky, the bulky grey clouds blocking any form of sunlight. It unnerved her. She looked down at Senketsu for some guidance but the uniform remained silent, its one eye fixated on the scenery before them. She was sitting on one of the metal chains that made up the academy, no one else from their school was around. It seemed like the only place where she could eat her lunch in peace without worrying about getting attacked. In her lap was a boxed lunch filled to the brim of food for her and as always sitting next to her was her best friend, Mako __Mankanshoku. Said girl was devouring her lunch at a break neck speed that somehow always amazed others to how she never chocked. Ryuko sat back and watched the girl happily eat her lunch, smiling at her best friend and feeling the wave of relief wash over her. She was still safe and sound and acting the way she always was. She was still Mako Mankanshoku. _

_Said girl noticed that she was being watched and stopped eating to look at her friend. She titled her head to the side, confusion shining in her eyes as she did so. "What's the matter, Ryuko? How come you're not eating?" _

_Ryuko merely shook her head and smiled, throwing her arms over her head to stretch and smile up at the cloudy sky. "I'm just so relieved, is all," she turned towards her friend to give her the smile this time. "I had this weird dream about Nui coming back and taking over your body. It was freaky. She kept going on and on how you were a doll this whole time. How stupid is that?" she snorted, thinking to herself that she has got to stop watching so many horror films. _

_Mako giggled, her usual happy grin on her face. "Ryuko, you're so silly. That wasn't a dream. It really did happen." _

_Her words caused Ryuko to freeze up, the cloudy sky now darkening to pitch black as shadows began to take over and engulf the surrounding area. However neither girl seemed to notice, or care, as Mako packed away her lunch and stood up while Ryuko sat there motionless and watched. _

_"I'm not really sure of the details but Nui is right, I never existed. At least not really. I can remember being in some kind of weird room, my entire body being suspended in midair by red strings. I think that was when Nui first made me and placed with the Mankanshoku family. After that all my memories are of them, even the ones that belonged to Usagi-Chan. I'm sorry that Nui killed her and if I could I want to properly apologize for her death," she paused for a moment, her small body doing a slow turn as she faced Ryuko with a sad smile. "But you know I'm glad that I was created because it meant that I got to meet you and Gamagoori and everyone," tears began to fall from her eyes but she fought to keep a straight face. "It probably sounds really selfish. After all I was only able to be with you because Usagi-Chan died. Nui, is right. I am a defective doll." She bent her head down, trying to hide her tears and the shame that was washing over her. _

_"That's not right!" Ryuko jumped to her feet, both her hands grasping tight to Mako's shoulders. "These memories that I have...all the happy times that we spent together," she tightened her grip on the girl as the tears brimmed in her eyes. "They weren't with a doll but with you, Mako Mankanshoku!" she cried out, denying with all her might any notions of her friend being a mere creation and not what she really was, a human. "It doesn't matter how you came into this world. To me and to everyone else you're still the same goofy, happy, girl that we care about."_

_A single tear fell from Mako's left right. The girl seemed shocked that it fell and raised her hand to catch the tears as they rain down her face. _

_"You see," Ryuko reached out, her thumb gracing over her friend's tear filled eye. "A doll wouldn't be able to cry. Shedding these tears proves you are human." _

_Mako felt more tears come as she heard those words. In that instant she pulled her into a hug, her arms holding on tight to the girl that was her first friend. "Thank you," She whispered into her neck, her voice quivering. She stood there, crying in the arms of her friend releasing all the fears and anger that she tried keeping inside. After hearing those kind words she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her emotions locked up anymore. "Ryuko...kill me." _

_With a horrified gasp Ryuko pulled back, looking at Mako with wide eyes and gulped down the lump in her throat. She was dumbfounded. After everything they've been through Mako was asking her to kill her? She couldn't. She wouldn't!_

_"Nui knows you won't use your full strength to attack because she knows how much you all care for me, but please forget that and attack. Forget that it's my body and stop her. Even if you have to completely forget about me that's fine, so long as you stop her," she paused, her brown eyes looking down at the ground before lifting her head back up and tried offering a smile but found it was impossible to do. "Besides, I won't be around much longer." Her body was already starting to fade away. _

_Ryuko noticed this and gasped in fear, her arms wrapping tightly around the vanishing girl. "Mako!" she cried out, trying to keep her there with her. She hoped that if she held tight enough then she wouldn't go away. _

_"Thank you for being my friend. It's because of you that I was able to experience thing a normal girl would. It's because of those bonds that I was able to act as my own person." She whispered softly, her body now see through and almost gone from the world they were in. _

_"No! Don't say that. You are human! You're my best friend. I can't lose you." She didn't want to lose yet another person in her life. While she never really knew her father she still cared for him and did her best to avenge him. But with Mako things were different. She knew the girl, they made memories together and she had hoped to continue making more with her. She tried tightening her hold but her hands went through the girl's transparent body and made her fall to the ground on her knees. "Mako..."_

_Said girl looked down at her with a sad smile. "Please tell Gamagoori that I'm sorry I wasn't able to be a proper date. I'll miss both of you and hope you two can find happiness in the future." She was swallowed up by the shadows, leaving only the sound of a surprised and pained gasp behind. _

_She was gone and Ryuko was left alone. Her blue eyes were wide and unstable as they stared at the empty spot in front of her. Once more she was forced to watch her friend disappear and she wasn't able to do a single thing to stop it from happening. "Mako!" she screamed up at the darkened sky. Her reaction caused her body to start glowing and to release the power that was inside her. She couldn't control herself, the anger was so strong. If she used this power now she could easily defeat Nui and punish her for ever putting her and her friends through this much pain. She growled, clenching her hands so tight that they bled and dripped her vibrant red blood onto the dark ground. She wanted to destroy Nui. To do everything possible that the girl would never be able to show herself again. Not in this lifetime or any other. She wanted her dead. _

_**"Calm yourself, Ryuko!" **__Senketsu's voice echoed in her mind but she didn't care. It was the first time in months that she was hearing his voice but she couldn't bring herself to rejoice. She was filled with so much rage and pain and sadness that all she wanted to do was scream and cry and have Nui's head served to her on a silver platter. __**"I know you're upset but throwing a tantrum won't bring Mako back!"**_

_She growled, annoyed that her uniform wasn't allowing her to grieve. "Well it sure as hell is making me feel better." She tried taking the piece of clothing off but found it was stuck to her body. _

_**"Then let me help you!" **__it cried out, making sure it stayed on her body. She didn't listen. She knew the true, Senketsu was gone and all this was right now was a stupid dream haunting her. __**"I believe I know how to save your friend." **__But even if she knew it was a dream she found herself stopping to listen. With deep even breathes she calmed herself down enough to let her Godrobe talk and explain what it wanted to tell her. __**"It's true Mako was created by Nui. I felt it when she wore me and we entered your mind," **__she wanted to scream at this. If it knew then why didn't it warn them so they could do something to help her. __**"But it's because of the bonds that she formed with you and the others that made her connection to Ragyo and Nui weak. She truly had become her own person with her own sense of will and feelings. That will of hers is the thing that is keeping Nui from completely seizing control over her."**_

_Ryuko felt a proud grin come onto her face. She should have know that Mako wouldn't give up so easily and she shouldn't be wasting time by crying. If she wanted to get her back than she needed to get ready. "What can we do?" as much as she wanted to hunt down Nui and cut that twisted little soul out of Mako's body she knew she couldn't do this alone. She would need the help of their friends. _

_If Senketsu had the ability to it would've smiled. __**"Remind Mako who she is. It was the bonds that she made with you all that helped her become human so focus on those bonds to bring her back. If we've learned anything in our time together it's that the human will to live is very strong." **_

_Ryuko nodded, her gaze looking up at the sky that was now starting to brighten up. She could feel her body become light and fuzzy, a sure sign that she was waking up from this dream. "Senketsu..." she gulped, a shot of nerves coming into her heart. "Will you be with me when I wake up?" _

_Said uniform chuckled, touched by her words and by the nervousness in her heart. __**"I am always with you." **_

_That was the last thing that was said between the two as the sun shinned down on them and Ryuko woke up. _

**~X~**

Pain was the first thing that she felt when her consciousness came back. Her head hurt so much she wondered if she had been hit by a bus and then had it double back to hit her again. With a low groan she lifted one hand to rub her temples, hoping to dull back the pain, but was surprised to feel soft fabric over one of her eyes. Now fully away she sat up, fingers running over the smooth eye patch that covered her right eye. She tried removing the black cloth but groaned in frustration when she found that it was stuck on her face. She tried pulling, cutting, and even biting it off but after the many failed attempts she gave up on removing the patch and focused on her surroundings. She was back in her room at the Kiryruin penthouse, resting in her queen sized bed in a pair gray sweat pants and a black t-shirt. She let out a low sigh as a trace of disappointment ran through her. There was still a small part of her that was wishing this whole thing was nothing more than a bad dream.

Speaking of dream she looked around her room for any sign of Senketsu but saw no trace of her old uniform and frowned. In her dream it said that it was always with her but she needed it to be there with her in physical form and not just in her memories. Once more she tried taking off the eye patch, hoping it might give her some clue or at least be the key to helping her but the damn thing was stuck to her face.

_Squeak _

She jumped when she heard the soft squeaking of a mouse and was shocked to see that it was the same one that had always been with her father. It was also the one who brought her the eye patch that helped her remember Mako. Picking up the small creature in one hand she ran her fingers through its soft fur and smiled when she saw how content it was with her petting it. "I don't suppose you could tell me what's going on?"

"For our sake I hope it does."

Said mouse ran out of her hand and up her arm to hide and bury itself into her hair. "You scared it," Ryuko looked at her sister through her only visible eye and was a little shocked to see the worry shining in the woman's usually confident and strong blue eyes. "What's wrong?" something happened. She could feel it in her blood.

Satsuki took a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation they were now in. "Nui has managed to raise Honnouji Academy."

Ryuko was on her feet in an instant. "But how? You destroyed that damn school and sunk it to the bottom of the bay." She didn't understand how any of this was happening or what it could mean. "Why would Nui want anything to do with the school?" does it have something to do with the fact that she and Ragyo had tried to use it to launch the missile to take over the world.

"It is most likely due to the fact that there are still Life Fibers in that place," Inumuta entered the room, his tablet in his hands and behind the rest of their friends. Ryuko took notice that Gamagoori was not with them. "According to the data I managed to uncover, Nui is still not at full strength and is probably hoping to create a uniform that will aid her in her mission."

"Now that she's in the slacker's body she'll be able to use Life Fibers and have the full power of a Goku uniform." Nonon added in, sitting down on the queen sized bed and crossing her legs in the process. She looked just as annoyed and tired as they rest of them were.

Ryuko clenched her fists when she heard this. Nui was just using her friend's body for her own selfish desires and it angered her. She wanted to go out there at this very moment and stop the girl but she knew she couldn't be rash with this. They were in a delicate situation and she refused to put Mako's life at risk just because she couldn't control her anger. "Where's Gamagoori?"

Satsuki raised an eyebrow, none of them were expecting that question. "He has asked to be left alone."

"I didn't asked how he was. I asked where he is." Ryuko wasn't in the mood for any of this. The longer they stay here and talk the more time they lose to help save her friend.

Cunning blue eyes looked over the form of her young sister, trying to take everything about the girl that seemed to change from how she was that morning. "He is on the roof." She informed her, watching as the girl moved passed all of them with determination burning with every step she took. "Why do you want to know."

Ryuko stopped at the door, her hand grasping the doorknob. "Because I'll need his help if I want get Mako back." She left them. She didn't go into details because she knew they would understand. Gamagoori held the same deep bond with Mako as she did. Perhaps the relationship was different but the essences of it was still the same. They were the two that cared for the girl the most and if they wanted to get her back then they needed to work together.

She was heading towards the roof when she passed the living room and spotted the Mankanshoku family sitting around the fireplace, looking at old photo albums through puffy red eyes. She gulped, her heart racing as she knocked to let them know that she was there. She was worried to face them because she wasn't sure how they would react. They had learned in one day that they lost not only one daughter but two. If they even considered Mako part of the family anymore. That was what worried her the most. She didn't know how they might have taken the news that their real daughter died at the hands of a maniac and said maniac replaced their dead daughter with someone else.

Sukuyo was the first to notice her. Quickly wiping away any stray tears she stood up and smiled at the girl. "Ryuko, it's good to see that you're awake. Are you feeling any better? If you like I can cook you something."

Utter disbelief coursed through her at the sheer kindness that was in this woman. Her entire family just went through probably the worst thing that could ever happen and she was asking if there was anything she could do to make _her_ feel better. Shaking her head she stepped forward and embraced the woman that in the few short months she lived with them had become like a mother to her.

Sukuyo smiled down at the girl, returning to hug and running one hand through her short dark-bluish hair. With gentle hands she pulled back to brush some hair out of Ryuko's eyes, or at this point eye, and lead her over to their family.

Barzao felt a smile come onto his face for the first time that day since the whole incident started. He grabbed both his son and dog, pulling them in for a hug of his own before speaking. "We were just looking through some old pictures. It's strange, for nearly a year I couldn't remember anything about Usagi but now I can remember every little detail about her." He showed her a picture of her. She looked like a younger version of Sukuyo with long straight brown hair, light hazel eyes and a soft smile that told Ryuko in an instant this girl was the shy and reserved type. She was the complete and total opposite of Mako. She looked away, hoping they didn't see the bitterness in her one eye. She didn't know anything about this girl but it almost felt like she was trying to take the place of her best friend. Even if it was the situation was the exact opposite.

Barzao noticed her look however but instead of feeling anger or resentment he gave her a knowing smile. He understood what she was feeling. "Usagi will always be our first born daughter and as a father I refuse to forget any of my children," he sat up straight, crossing his arms and trying to look high and mighty. "That being said I can't just sit idly by and let Mako disappear." He turned and grinned up at the girl.

Sukuyo wrapped one arm around Ryuko's shoulders. "We will always love Usagi and we'll miss her everyday but Mako is our daughter as well. As a mother I refuse to lose anymore of my children."

Ryuko felt her heart swell. This family was truly the most loving and caring and special one out there. She returned their smiles with one of her own that glowed with the determination that was burning in her heart. "I promise, I will bring her back." She ran out of the room with that. There was no more time to waste. Now she had even more reason and resolve to get her friend back. It wasn't only for her sake but for their friends and family. Mako didn't only make a bond with her and Gamagoori but with everyone and it would be those feelings that would help them get their friend back. Pushing all her power into her feet she ran up the stairs and threw the door of the roof open with such force that it came off its hinges.

She stood there panting in the doorway as she stared at the large form of the man sitting no more than a few feet away from her. He didn't move a muscle. She knew that he knew she was there but he was making no move to acknowledge her. He merely sat there, staring up at the star filled sky as there was no moon tonight. The full moon had come and went and tonight was the new moon. "Gamagoori..." she stepped forward, her bare feet touching the cool stone of her roof and making her shiver.

He moved his head to look at her. It was nothing more than a small gesture but it was enough for her to see his face and saw the same puffy red eyes that the Mankanshoku family had. He was up here all alone crying for the loss of the girl he loved. She gulped at the sight, having only seen him cry once since knowing him and that was when she beat him during the election battle. Only this time the tears he shed were different. Back then he was crying from the shame of being beaten but now he was crying because the one he loved was gone and turned evil by one of their greatest enemies. He had even jumped in front of Mako to protect her from Nui but now he knows that his actions were in vain because she had gotten past him and was now corrupting Mako's body. "You want to fight, don't you." He knew why she had come. He had been expecting her to show up for some time now and it disgusted him at how eager she was to fight. It's true he wanted nothing more than to wring Nui's twisted little neck until she popped but he knew he would never be able to do it. She was inside Mako and he could never bring himself to harm her. That had been proven today when he tried to fight but froze when he got to close and ended up being thrown into the bay. He had laid in the water, staring up at the sky and had watched the girl escape from the boat they had been on. If he wanted to he could have used his whip to grab hold of her and bring her down to the water with him but he had allowed her to go. No matter how badly he hated Nui he refused to let any harm to Mako. He felt the situation was hopeless and he was a useless man.

"I want to get my friend back." Ryuko saw the look in his eyes. He was judging her but in all honesty she didn't care about what his option of her was. He could think she was the most vile creature out there and it wouldn't bother her in the least if it meant getting her friend back.

He snorted, gray eyes looking over her small form and glared. "Can you really say you're prepared to fight head on with the body of your best friend." His voice was filled with disgust and anger and he did nothing to hide his emotions. He wanted her to know exactly how he felt about her wanting to fight.

Ryuko felt her eyebrow twitch at that look. His glares stopped scaring her a long time ago and now all it did was make her want to say a nasty comment about his attitude. But she bit back the sarcastic reply that was on the tip of her tongue and opted to take the high road. "I know it'll be hard but I have to try. Mako would want us too. She wouldn't want-"

"I know!" Gamagoori was on his feet the instant she said that name. The force he used to stand caused the ground around him to shatter and leave dents in the roof. His body shook with rage as he glared at her, this time the look made her flinch in fear. She's never seen him this angry before. "I know exactly how she would feel. Despite what you believe you weren't the only one who knew her."

This time Ryuko didn't hold back her anger. "I never said that!"

"But you're thinking it. You think you can rescue Mankanshoku all by yourself and only need us as added support. I know how you think, Matoi. You may say you want our help but you're really thinking that you're the only one who can bring her back. That you're the only one who cares about her," He all but growled out, his voice booming that it made the area around them shake. He would not put up with any of her stupid childish gestures. "But you're not. She may have been your best friend but Mako is the woman I'm in love with!"

Ryuko gasped, a small blush heating up her face. She hated to admit it but his confessing about loving her best friend made he feel slightly embarrassed. It was as if she walked in on a special moment that wasn't ever meant for her eyes but only to be seen and heard by the two of them. What he said was true though. She knew she would need his and everyone else's help, but through it all she had been thinking that she would be the one to do the most work. She would need the other's help in bring Mako back but she believed that their friendship was enough. It had become clear to her about his feelings for her best friend when he tried confessing to her the first time. While he failed, amusingly she might add, he had managed to succeed a second time around and they gone out on a date together. She had always thought what they felt was nothing more than a crush but it seems she was wrong. The feelings he had was so much more than just a crush, he was in love with her. _"Please tell Gamagoori that I'm sorry I wasn't able to be a proper date. I'll miss both of you and hope you two can find happiness in the future."_ She wanted to laugh as she remembered the words Mako had said to her before she disappeared. She should have noticed it, the way her friend would say his name or how happy she was the day of their date. Mako was in love with him too. "I'm sorry," there would always be a a part of her that wanted to be the only person special in her best friend's heart but she didn't mind sharing the title. "You're right. I'm not the only one who cares deeply for Mako," he resolve was reset and her desire to get her friend back even stronger. "That's why I need your help. It may be hard but for Mako I'm willing to drag my body through hell and back. Are you?" she grinned, challenging him silently. He may have confessed he loved her but she was Mako's best friend and he still needed her stamp of approval before he could ever have the title of being Mako's boyfriend.

Gamagoori instantly heard the challenge that she was offering him and it made him grin. "I already have." he fixed himself, standing up straight and with one hand moved the bottom of his shirt up to show the scar that was on his stomach. He had gotten this scar when he first protected Mako from Nui and he never once felt any shame when he saw the scar. He knew that she still felt guilty that he injured himself because of her but he was proud to have this mark on his body. It meant that he had acted as a proper man and had been able to protect the woman he loved. For Mako he would allow his entire body to be covered in scars if it meant keeping her smiling face safe.

Ryuko was slightly taken back by this, not really sure what to say but still grinned nonetheless. "It's good to see that the two of you were able to work out your differences." Aikuro Mikisugi walked out onto the now cracked and crumbling roof and whistled. "I'm amazed this place hasn't collapsed yet." He chuckled softy when he saw the embarrassed flush come onto Gamagoori's face but was pleased that he still kept the look of a warrior. Digging through his pocket he tossed a small object the larger man's way.

Gamagoori caught the small object with ease but when he looked down at what had been thrown at him he nearly fell off the roof. "This is...!" in his large hand he held the blue rabbit locket he had given Mako the day of their date. That day he had been suddenly overcome with the overwhelming urge to give it to her and now he knew why. His instincts were trying to tell him that she was about to disappear.

Aikuro nodded, a serious look on his face as he stared at the two. He swore being with them and their group would cause his hair to turn grey with all the trouble that happens around them. "The day when Ragyo was about to launch her missile into the atmosphere Mankanshoku came to Tsumugu and I, she told us about the horrifying truth she had learned about herself. She knew that she wasn't human and deep inside her were the same Life Fibers that were used to create Nui Harime."

"What the hell are you saying?" Ryuko jumped at the man, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to eyelevel. "Are you trying to tell me that Mako knew all this time about what Nui was trying to do to her?" her voice cracked as she spoke. She had thought everything that had happened until now had been instant and a shock to them all but now she just learned that her friend knew the truth the whole time. It made her angry. If she knew then why hadn't she told them? They could have done something that might have helped her. _"Why didn't she come to me for help?" _that was what hurt her the most. Her friend was probably experiencing so much fear and pain but she never once confined in her. Was she not a reliable friend? Why hadn't she come to her?

Aikuro could see from the look on her face that this piece of information had hurt her. He could see that Gamagoori held the same look. Both of them probably wondering why the girl had never come to them to express her concerns. "She wanted you both to have bright futures," he glanced up at the moonless sky, recalling the day when he first learned the truth about Mako and what was happening to her. Placing a steady hand on top of Ryuko's head he ran his hand up and down, trying to sooth her as he began his explanation. "She came to the two of us because she knew we would be able to handle the situation better. We had been fighting against the Life Fibers the longest and had information about them that might have been able to help her. Sadly all we could do was offer her a little more time before she was taken over. We of Nudist Beach told her that if she wanted to keep Nui at bay she should keep her emotions and desires at sealed off. She tried and at first she was successful but we all know that Mankanshoku isn't the kind of person to keep her emotions hidden," he set his gaze forward, looking at the gaping young man before him.

Gamagoori felt himself stiffen when he heard this. Was it his fault that she had been taken over? Because he had asked her out on a date and forced her to give into her desires.

"It's not your fault," Aikuro could see the way the his mind was working and quickly diminished any thoughts of it being his fault. "At the rate the Life Fibers were going Mankanshoku maybe had a month left at most before she would be taken over. She knew this when she accepted your invitation of a date and decided that if she would have to leave this world she wanted to leave it with a happy memory." He told them, thinking back to the day at the beach and how right after everyone had gone back he and Tsumugu had tried continuously to have Mako call off the date. They knew if she went on the date and let herself give into her desires then it would only mean the end for her. But the girl had refused to listen to a single word they said and had merely asked their opinion about first dated and the way one behaved on it. "She knew what her fate would be and she accepted it all, despite knowing that she would disappear forever."

"You're wrong..."Ryuko stepped out of his hold, her one eye glaring up at the man and her fist raised as her fingers itched. She had the same sensation in her body as she would when she was about to transform. "Mako isn't gone. She's being used by Nui and we're going to get her back!" she clenched her one hand that had the glove she used to wear. It was strange to say but she truly felt like she could transform and fight again like she used too. It felt like in that moment she was wearing Senketsu again. "Nui said that because Mako made bonds with us that she started to act on her own. Then that's exactly how we're going to get her back. We'll remind Mako of who she is and use the power of our bonds to pull her out of Nui's grasp."

"Matoi..." Gamagoori hated to admit it but he was amazed by her resolve. Even when things seemed utterly hopeless she was able to see the shining points in it and fought off that. He grinned, a habit she most likely picked up from being with Mako for so long. Well he wasn't about to let her steal the show. Placing the locket around his neck and stepped forward, his body growing in size. "I agree. Mankanshoku is the type that would easily let herself get consumed by another's will. Her will is powerful enough to fend off against the most tainted soul in the universe. And if we must use our bonds to bring her back, I'm positive the one we have will be plenty."

Ryuko snorted, an amused grin on her face now. "Now who sounds like the conceited one. Before you were yelling at me for acting like I knew Mako the best but now you're doing the very same thing."

Gamagoori just chuckled to himself and gave her a haughty look. "Perhaps that is true but I have every reason to be over confident. After all my relationship with her is much deeper than yours."

One finely trimmed eyebrow twitched at his words. "And just what is that supposed to me?" she was not liking what he was trying to say. "I'm her best friend. All you did was go on one date!"

This time it was he who twitched and got annoyed. "That may be so but the relationship between a man and a woman is much more deeper than mere friendships. Besides, we kissed on that date so that only makes the bond I share with her that much deeper." He spoke with a soft blush on his cheeks as he recalled the kiss her shared with Mako. It had been his first kiss but it was a memorable one and it still made his heart skip a beat and have his body come alive when he thought back to that moment. The kiss they shared was short and sweet, full of innocents and curiosity but it held passion in it as well. After their date he could remember falling asleep with the sensation of her lips pressed against his. That night he had dreamt of the two of them together and having their kisses grow from innocent to those of adult like. He wants to be able to feel her lips against his once more and allow their relationship to grow even further.

Ryuko saw his blushing face and scoffed. She had an idea of what he was thinking of. "So what? So have I." she was referring to the final battle when Mako had told her to come back so they could go on a date and had gotten carried away with her hallelujah speech and kissed the girl.

He stiffened up, having forgotten about that moment. "That doesn't mean anything!" he screamed as a jealous surge overflowed through his body.

She chuckled at his jealously and grinned. "Oh, seems like I've stepped on a nerve. Upset because I was her first kiss and you weren't."

He refused to say it out loud but that was exactly it. "That kiss meant nothing. The one we shared was much deeper."

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy." Ryuko chuckled, enjoying herself right now.

Gamagoori growled, his anger and jealously showing more and more. "Be that as it may as a man I am the one Mankanshoku chose to be with." He grinned, trying to prove that the relationship he had was the stronger one.

She glared, twitching slightly when he said that. "I was her friend first! And I also was the one to always rescue her while you were probably helping those stupid clubs kidnap her!"

"I did no such thing!" he was appalled that she would even suggest that he had something to do with all those kidnappings. "I was the one who told the clubs that they needed to stop kidnapping and placing Mankanshoku in harms way."

"You did?" she hadn't known about this. She just figured the clubs had stopped because they wised up about her power.

He nodded, the blush returning to his face. In the past he hadn't been able to admit the real reason why he had told the clubs to stop. Of course when he says he told them he really means he threatened them and promised the ultimate punish if he found out that the girl had been kidnapped again. Back then he had merely told himself it was because he was disciplinary chairman and it was his duty to protect the students but now he was able to say it freely. Even back then Mako had managed to make her way into his heart and he didn't want to see her get hurt. But even if he could admit it to himself that didn't mean he was going to tell Matoi that. "I was. I felt it was wrong to punish Mankanshoku just because she was friends with a hooligan like you."

And that one comment made her annoyance for the man rise up once more. "Don't act all high and mighty just because you had one date with her, and might I add that you totally forgot to ask her out for a second one. I bet soon enough you'll mess up so badly that Mako won't ever want to see your perverted old man face ever again!" she knew that was she was saying sounded really mean but she couldn't help herself. He had pissed her off and she wanted him to admit defeat.

This time it was his anger to rise. He hated it whenever someone made a comment about his facial feature. He did not look that old! But he could have let that all go if she hadn't said anything about him ruining their relationship. It was his goal in life to do all he could to make sure the relationship he would have will be a long and happy one. "I will do no such thing. So long as she says she wants to be with me I plan on being her boyfriend and become her love, her bed partner, and if she'll have me I'll be the father of her children!"

His words left them in utter disbelief and silence. Ryuko stood there in a motionless daze and Gamagoori keep himself straight and firm and trying not to show the embarrassment that was building up for speaking out loud the desires he had. Aikuro was silent himself, not really sure what to say but found himself fighting back the desire to laugh. He watched as the two continued to go back and forth, trying to prove who was closer to Mako Mankanshoku all the while Ryuko called Gamagoori a total pervert and him replying that he was just a man that showed no shame in admitting his feelings. Looking back Aikuro looked at the security camera that was hanging on the roof and smirked. He was positive the others were watching and despite the interesting show that was happening for them, he knew that they all felt the same way he did. It didn't matter whose bond was stronger because with all of them together he was positive they could get the girl back. However he still had one concern in mind that he needed to get off his chest.

Clearing his throat he called for the attention of the fighting duo. "As much fun it is to watch you two put on this comedic show I still have a few things left to say," slowly he started to unbutton his white shirt as he spoke. "We of Nudist Beach plan on attacking Nui Harime the moment our forces are mobilized and ready to go. If you cannot rescue Mankanshoku by the time we are ready then we will have no choice but to kill her." He didn't sugarcoat it. They needed to know the whole truth if they were to win.

Ryuko looked at the man, her eye making sure to look at his face and not his now naked chest as his shirt laid on the ground by his feet. This man seemed to love to strip no matter where they were or what was happening around them. "That won't be a problem," she grinned, gesturing her thumb over her heart. "Because we will get Mako back." She knew they would succeed in getting her friend back. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind. It won't be easy and it will probably put their minds through a tremendous strain but for Mako it was worth it. Every single one of them would charged at full force, with or without their uniforms to back them up, they wouldn't stop until they had their friend back.


	5. Chapter 5

The dawn had barely come but everyone was all ready to move out and get their friend back. After Ryuko and Gamagoori finished their shouting match at the other they had gone downstairs to explain to the others what Aikuro had told them. Ryuko then informed them of her dream and what they needed to do to get Mako back and destroy Nui. Of course this caused everyone to question her and she didn't blame them. She was having doubts herself about her dream. Senketsu had burned up in the atmosphere, all the Life Fibers were destroyed that day so even if she could think of a way to bring him back without any Life Fibers the task would be impossible. Once more she reached hand up to feel out the small black fabric and found that the surface of it was rough. It was starting to make her question even more about her father and what could have been going through the man's mind when he created all these things.

With a frustrated sigh she leaned against her motorbike, the same one she had used to get to Osaka and to get back all the pieces of the scattered Senketsu. Those days seemed so far away instead of the few months that they really were. She was dressed in her usual black and white jacket with a pair of faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and brown combat boots. She had wanted to top the outfit off with her red scarf but when she put it on and saw how she looked with the eye patch she decided against the accessory. So she decided to keep it, along with a few other items in Mako's purple backpack. The pack was not something she usually wore and you could easily tell it wasn't her style but she was proud to have it on her back. Sukuyo had given it to her after everyone decided to track down Nui before Nudist Beach had the chance to gather their forces and attack. She felt honored that they had entrusted the item to her and it made her even happier when she saw the jealous glares Gamagoori was given her for not receiving the same honor.

Their plan was a simple one, they would head to the newly raised Honnouji Academy and from there spilt up to search for Nui. From there they would do their best to capture the girl and hopefully give them enough time to research how to extract her from Mako. Inumuta would come with them so he could analyze the situation and just how much of Nui was in Mako while Iori would stay behind and research all he knew about Life Fibers and how to remove them from inside a person without harming them. The plan itself seemed easy enough but they all knew it was going to be difficult, if not damn near impossible. Even if Nui wasn't at full strength she was inside Mako's body and it would be a challenge for them to fight. Anything they did could risk causing permanent damage to Mako and none of them wanted that. Although according to her dream Mako wanted them to kill her. She made sure to leave that part out when she was explaining her dream about Senketsu. They didn't need to know what dream Mako said, it would only cause more problems. She could already imagine the rampage Gamagoori would go on for her even saying such things. Besides she wasn't even sure how much of the dream was real and how much was made up. Once more she felt out the patch, trying to peel it off her face but like all the other times it didn't even budge.

Her father's mouse was sitting on top her shoulder, looking up at her with its big black eyes full of curiosity for what she was doing. With a soft smile she pet its soft fur and laughed when she heard its soft purrs of enjoyment. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you could just tell me how to fix everything," the mouse didn't answer her, instead it kept on purring as her two fingers caressed its soft head. "Can't you at least tell me about this eye patch." She knew it was pointless to try but asking the same creature made her feel better.

To her surprise however the same mouse removed itself from her hand and looked up at her. Its large eyes now staring at the patch and she swore there was a serious look in them. It quickly ran to her right side and began gnawing at the black strap of the eye patch. This caused the patch to quiver, the biting caused it to vibrate against her face. _**"Stop that!" **_she gasped at the voice, her hand cover the patch as her blood froze. "Senketsu...?" she whispered out, waiting for a response but all she received was silence. However she was not overcome by disappointment like she usually was, but she was now filled with hope. There was a piece of Senketsu instead her father's eye patch and one way or another she would find a way to get it back.

"Ryuko?" Aikuro approached her, an amused grin on his face as he watched the mouse on her shoulder jump up and down when it saw him. "I see you've made friends with your father pet mouse." He reached forward to pet the happy creature and chuckled at its pleased purring. In doing so his face was right next to Ryuko's, making her blush at the closeness. With his free hand he felt out the patch, rubbing the rough fabric that was resting against her eye. "That's definitely Dr. Matoi's eye patch, but for the life of me I can't figure out why his mouse would have brought it to you, or why it's now stuck on your face. Sorry, if I don't have the answers for you."

Clearing her throat she stepped away, her cheeks still burning but she hoped the still darkening dawning morning would hide her blushing face. "It's fine. It's not like things are ever that easy. If they were then we wouldn't be in this mess," she looked away, trying to calm her beating heart down and to get the redness out of her face. "So why are you here? Did you need something?"

Aikuro grinned, chucking at her behavior. "I came to send you my best wishes. I am truly hoping you all succeed so that we do not have to get involved," he did not want to cause any harm to the girl but sadly she wasn't the only in control of her body. Instead it was being using by someone who was clinically insane and if she caused anymore damage to the human race than they would have to intervene. "As your acting bodyguards it would be a shame to put down one of the girls we swore to protect."

Ryuko frowned at his use of words when something clicked inside her mind. "It wasn't my father who asked you to act as body guards, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," he gave her a proud grin. Pleased that she had been able to figure them out so easily. "After Mankanshoku came to Tsumugu and I and told us about her fate, we decided to watch over you girls until that day came. We have been watching over the girl for a while now in hopes that the takeover wouldn't happen so fast but the day she went on the date we knew Nui would come."

Ryuko glared, suddenly things about that day were starting to add up. "You're the ones that had our street blocked off," she knew Inumuta and the others were still trying to figure out who had blocked off their street just before Mako disappeared but now she knew. "But why? What was the point of that? If we knew what was happening than maybe we could have done something. If our bonds are what will bring Mako back than maybe they could have kept her here!" she cried out, tears of frustration gathering in her eyes.

Aikuro watched this and frowned. He didn't want her to cause her more pain but she had the right to know everything. "Because if we did than those bonds would not be as strong," he pulled the girl into his arms, holding her in hopes of calming her down. "That day when Mankanshoku was disappearing I raced to her in hopes of stopping her from disappearing but by the time I arrived on the scene she was gone and all that was left was the locket. The next morning I woke up not knowing who she was or why I had a blue rabbit locket in my possession. We only remembered after you and the others did," he caressed her hair in a soothing motion as he spoke in a soft voice to her. "It is those bonds that will bring her back but if Nui learns just how strong those bonds are than she will try even harder to fight then and absorb Mankanshoku even faster."

Ryuko let out a frustrated growl, her hand clenching his white shirt. "But if I had known-!" she was stopped by Aikuro pulling her back, a serious look on his face.

"It would only make matters worse. If you knew about Nui than you and the others would have done everything to keep Mankanshoku from disappearing but that would have only made Nui fight stronger to get out and when she did she would have killed everyone in her sight. If she did that what do you think Mankanshoku would do?" he held tight to her arms, gripping them so she would understand the seriousness of the situation. "She would have been overcome with such guilt that she would be absorbed by Nui without so much as a fight. At least this way we have a chance. Mankanshoku is fighting and has hope in you. That is why you had that dream. It's trying to tell you that there is hope. Even if you're not telling us everything, you can't give up." He grinned when he saw her eyes widen. "While I may have lied about being asked to be your bodyguard it was true that your father asked me to watch over you. I know more about you than you think, Ryuko."

She felt like her whole face was matching the one red streak in her hair at his words. "Shut up," she pushed herself out of his arms and had her back facing him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Aikuro grinned once more before frowning. "I also know that there is a part of you that blames Gamagoori," he wasn't surprised to see her stiffen up. "As I said before it is because Mankanshoku gave into her desires that allowed Nui to takeover that much faster. But that is what she wanted. She wanted to spend countless days with you, her best friend but every time we would check up on her she would always say that, even if it was only once, she wanted to go on a date with Gamagoori. She loved the both of you very much and she wanted to be with you two until the end of her days. She got her wish. Now it's up to you to make sure she can keep on wishing." He left her with that. He knew there was no more he could say to her. Besides no matter how badly he wanted to go with them he knew he had a job to do here. As a member of Nudist Beach it was his duty to defend the world against all Life Fibers and those who would use them against humans. He hoped they would be able to find a way to stop Nui and save their friend but if they didn't, it was his duty to save the world and if that meant he would have to kill Mako Mankanshoku than he would be the one to do it.

**~X~**

Ryuko found it hard to concentrate after he left. Her mind seemed to be racing with thoughts but it felt completely blank at the same time. She didn't know how to handle his words. When the others finally arrived she motionlessly mounted her motorbike and sped off, not even waiting for them to start their car. She didn't even relish in the fact that Gamagoori held a hint of jealously in his eyes when he saw her wearing the backpack. If anything it only made her heart lurch with pain and had her putting more pressure on the gas. Her own eyes shined with jealously when she saw the blue locket wrapped securely around his neck. It looked out of place around his neck but that was because it was for Mako. She saw the video footage of their date. They had watched it on the boat after their memories came back and she had seen the look of pure and utter happiness on her face when she was given the locket. Mako got what she wanted and that's why Nui was able to take over, because she had given into her desires and let her defenses down. Hearing that only made her angry. Was she not enough? Weren't they supposed to be best friend? Was being with her not enough to make Nui takeover?

She knew she was terrible person for thinking such things but damn it she couldn't stop herself. She knew Mako held feelings for Gamagoori but she never imagined they would be that strong. Why hadn't she noticed? Or for that matter why didn't Mako tell her? If they were such close friends than she should have had no problem telling her that she was in love with Gamagoori. _"Why...?" _she pressed even harder on the gas, from her mirror the pink Cadillac getting further and further away. She could hear Satsuki and the others screaming at her to slow down but she couldn't. She had to get away. She wasn't used to this. She always had Mako by her side but now she had to face off against her body. And it seems like she would have one more fight too. She felt betrayed and angry and sad for not knowing about her friend's fate, or about her feelings, or for not being the one to cause the takeover to happen. The two of them have been together the longest so it should have been her to cause the takeover to speed up. Instead it had to be for some guy that before all of this would have possibly murdered her in cold blood for showing up to school late. _"Why him?" _the academy and the entire town surrounding it was in sight. She saw it straight ahead and it had her barring her teeth at the very sight. With a glance to her mirror she saw the others trying to catch up with her but they were still a ways behind. She didn't know what speed they were going, no doubt going way beyond that of the speed limit but she didn't have the time or energy to care. All her focus was on her angry and her jealousy. _"Wasn't I good enough?!" _Once more she hit the gas, putting it way beyond the speed it was supposed to go at. She was leaning forward, trying to make herself get there faster but all it did was make the bike lurch forward and had her hitting the cement with enough force to knock her out.

She felt her body smack against the road, her head getting more of the impact and now she had a gash running down the side of her face and blood dripping down. Through her one eye, that was now cloudy and showing her black spots, Gamagoori's pink Cadillac swerving to a stop in front of her. Satsuki and the others jumping out and rushing over to her side. She heard them calling to her, her sister by her side in an instant but she found it hard to focus on them as she slowly slipped into an unconscious state.

**~X~**

_Once more all she could feel as she first woke up. With a low groan she put a hand to her head, hoping to null out some of the pain but all it did was make her headache worsen. Slowly she sat up and looked around her, she was lying in a sleeping bag, bandages wrapped around her injured head and off to her left were the others sitting by a fire. With slow steps she walked towards the group, already preparing herself for the earful she would get from her sister and everyone else for her reckless driving. However they didn't seem to notice her approaching, they were much to engrossed in the conversation they were having. _

"Iori and I have been going over the data that we have on Life Fibers and I'm having him already prepare a miniature version of the Anti-Life Fiber Human Extraction Device. With this we should be able to extract Nui Harime from Mako Mankanshoku's body the same way we removed human's from the COVERS." Inumuta was the one speaking as he typed away on his laptop, running data and simulations on the situation as fast as his fingers could go.

_Ryuko stood there, shock making her freeze over as she listened to the group. _

"And you really believe this will work?" Sanageyama didn't look to convinced as he sat alongside his friends and listened to their plan of action.

Inumuta stopped typing at this. "In theory yes, but there is a downside," he turned his laptop around, showing them the program that he made to show them what exactly their plan would be. "While it will be able to remove Nui Harime it will not be able to remove all the Life Fibers that have now fused with Mankanshoku's body. I speculate that once Nui is out the remaining Life Fibers will try and regroup to try and takeover her body on their own. We will most likely have to perform this procedure until we can come up with a more long lasting cure."

Gamagoori stiffen when he heard this, his heart racing and he had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at his friend for trying to do such a risky and dangerous plan on the woman he loved. "And you're sure this is the only way to save her?" he had his arms crossed, his large frame twitching on the ground as he tried to hold in his emotions.

Inumuta nodded. "At the moment yes. If I was given more time than perhaps I could come up with something more practical but since we have a deadline this is all we have." He said, fixing his glasses as he did so.

Gamagoori frowned, his feelings for Mako telling him there had to be another way but his mind was telling him that if they wanted her back than they needed to take some form of risk. "And you're positive this will work?" he wasn't going to risk her life unless he had absolute proof that this plan will succeed. When Inumuta nodded it did not give him the relief he hoped it would. "Very well. I will go along with this plan. But if at any time I see it is putting Mankanshoku's life in danger I am putting a stop to it instantly." He may believe in Inumuta and his plan but that didn't mean he would allow the woman he loved to be put in harm's way. He was a man and as a man it was his duty to protect the woman he loved and to make sure that she was always happy.

Nonon just rolled her eyes at him, already fed up with him and his feelings. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine and all but what about her?" she was gesturing over to Ryuko, a bored look on her face. "I doubt she'll agree to this plan. After all she believes that our bond with the slacker is all that is needed."

Sanageyama nodded his head in agreement. "I can't see her going along with our plan. If anything she'll try and stop us before we can even get to Mankanshoku."

"Which is why we will not bring Ryuko along," Satsuki was the one to speak next. Her always serious eyes looking in the direction of her younger sister. "This may be our only chance to save Mako Mankanshoku and we cannot have anything or anyone slowing us down. You all saw how Ryuko was behaving today. I do not feel she is emotionally prepared for what is needed to be done. The medicine we have given her will keep her unconscious long enough for us to track down Nui and extract her. From there we do all that we can to make sure that Mankanshoku stays alive." She closed her eyes, accepting the plan that they would need to do in order to save the girl that has been taken over. It may not seem like the kindest plan but in war you cannot worry about who may or may not be hurt. All they had time to worry about was stopping Nui and trying to keep their friend alive in the process.

_Ryuko couldn't take it anymore. She had been standing there, listening to them plan an attack on her best friend and by the sounds of things it would cause more harm than good. "That's enough!" she jumped at them, her fists raised and eyes ablaze. "I don't care what any of you say, I'm not going to let you hurt Mako!" she growled, ready to fight them all off one by one if need be. _

_But they never moved. Instead they all sat there, staring at each other and thinking over their plan. "Umm...?" this caused Ryuko to calm herself down as confusion overcame her. "Hello? Is anybody listening to me?" she waved her face in front of her sister but when she tried touching her she found herself falling right through the girl's body. "What the hell!?" she cried out when she landed on the ground after passing right through her sister's body. _

_Struggling to get up she looked at her body and cried out when she could see through herself. "I'm a ghost!" if could have she would have paled. Did the accident do enough damage to kill her? "Great, I fight against an entire army of psychotic fashion designers and survive only to be taken down in a motorcycle accident. How embarrassing." She grumbled, sitting there and looked over at her body that was resting to the side. She gasped however when she saw that her body was not motionless or decaying but was instead resting and her chest was moving up and down. She was breathing and that meant that she was alive. She would have cried out in joy if not for the overwhelming shock and confusion that was coursing through her right now. _

_**"You need to calm yourself, Ryuko." **_

_"Senketsu!" she gasped, looking down at her body for the old uniform but found that it was not there. _

_**"Where are you looking? I am right here."**__ The deep voice was not coming from her body but instead from her eye. She gasped when she saw its red and yellow eye in the place of where the patch used to be. __**"I did say that I was always with you." **_

_If she could have she would have cried. She had Senketsu back. "So does this mean I'm dead?" she gulped, almost afraid of the answer. She saw her Kamui burn up in the atmosphere so did that mean they were finally able to reunite because she was dead. _

_Senketsu chuckled, amusement shining in its eye. __**"No, you are not dead. This is merely your psyche projecting itself to show you what is happening around you and I am here with you because a piece of me resides inside your father's eye patch." **_

_"But why would he put a part of you in his eye patch?" she didn't understand what could be behind her father's reasoning for doing this. Then again she never really ever understood anything about the man. It took her months to learn why he had designed Senketsu so maybe he placed an extra piece of it as a just in case something happened to it or her. _

_**"I do not know the reasoning. I wasn't even aware there was a piece of my Life Fibers in his eye patch until you put me on and I was awoken."**_

_"So were you the one who created that dream?"_

_**"No, that was all Mako's doing. As I've said before you two share a mental connection so she must have been trying to communicate with you about the situation." **_

_Ryuko frowned at this. It was true that Mako had been trying to tell her something but it wasn't anything good. She wanted them to kill her so they could stop Nui. But she wouldn't allow that, nor would she allow the others to harm her either. "So what's going on? How come I can talk with you now and not before?" _

_**"Because your mind is closed," **__it's one eye looked at her, a serious look burning in it and it made her shudder. __**"I still require your blood to function properly but because only a piece of me is here I cannot act as I did before. That being said you are no longer mental capable of handling me when you are conscious so I can only talk with you when your mind is open and able to accept what is going on." **_

_Ryuko all but growled at this. "Just what the hell are you saying?" _

_**"I am saying that ever since this whole thing started you have been trying to hide yourself because you're scared of the outcome. You don't accept what has happened to Mako or what is happening around you and therefore you cannot accept me!" **_

_This time she did growl. "You expect me to accept that my best friend has been turned into some kind of monster!?" she shouted, her hands at her side balled up into fists and her body shaking with anger. "Mako isn't like that. She would never do any of this willingly. She would never ask me to kill her. This isn't Mako! It's all because of that damn Nui!"_

_Senketsu glared at her words. The way she was behaving was not the Ryuko it had known and fought alongside with. __**"If you do not accept this than you will be unable to save Mako," **__its gaze landed on the former student council that were still discussing their plans. __**"They have already accepted what has happened and are trying to come up with a plan to help her. It may not be the best but at least they are trying." **_

_Ryuko wanted nothing more than to take off the damn patch and burn it in the fire that was burning only a few feet away from her. She didn't want this. She wanted Senketsu to be on her side and tell her that what she was doing was right. That she shouldn't have any doubts. No matter how much of them she was feeling. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do..." she admitted, whispering it softly in the wind. Even if no one could hear her she was still embarrassed to admit that she didn't have the slightest clue how to save her best friend. She looked over at Gamagoori who was discussing his group's battle tactics, all the while fingering the locket that was hanging around his neck. In his eyes you could tell he was hesitant about the plan but beside that there was the determined glare that wanted to do nothing more than to get Mako back. Ryuko wished she had the same look. "Damn it," she sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe I'm jealous of that perverted giant." She grumbled, her face burning even more now that she admitted what she had been trying so hard to keep deep inside. She never wanted to admit it but she wasn't as happy as the rest when the news of them dating spread through their group. She was happy that her best friend was with the guy she liked but she was worried what would happen to them. If things between them got serious she was scared that their friendship would die out. She was scared that the bond she shared with Mako wasn't as strong as the one she shared with Gamagoori. _

_**"It is nothing to be ashamed of," **__Senketsu spoke in soft voice, hoping to provide her comfort. __**"You have been alone for so long that it makes sense for you to want to hold on tightly to the first ever bond you made." **__His words were true. Mako was the first person she could ever truly call her friend. To be more precise she considered the girl to be like a sister and she was nervous that if she was with someone else than she would forget all about her and their friendship. __**"Mako isn't the type of girl who would forget her friends. She has enough room in her heart for an entire country." **_

_Ryuko chuckled at the joke, removing her face from her hands to show the amused grin she was wearing. "And she has the stomach to fix the entire world too." Fixing herself she stood up and walked over to where her body was lying down. "So now what do we do?" _

_**"We fight. I do not know if I will be able to communicate with you once you wake up but I will continue to try." **_

_Ryuko nodded. "And I'll try to keep my mind more open." She knew that would be a challenge. There was still a part of her that didn't want to accept that her friend may be stuck as a monster forever and the only way to save her may be to end her life. With a deep breath she jumped into her body, ready to do what she needed to do. _

**~X~**

Blue eyes opened to see the star filled sky above her and from the side she could hear and see her group talking amongst themselves. Resting on her chest was her father's pet mouse that woke up the moment she did. It did a happy squeak and ran to sit on top of her shoulder as she slowly sat up and began to unwrap the bandages from her head. Slowly she traced over the eye patch and grinned when she felt it shudder. "Senketsu?" she called softy, not ready to give away that she was awake. Although knowing her sister she probably knew she was awake before she even had the chance to open her eyes. When no reply came she let out a low sigh and got up to walk towards the group. _"Looks like my mind still isn't as open as you need it to be." _She spoke to Senketsu in her mind, knowing it would hear her even if she couldn't hear its reply. Although no verbal reply came she felt a surge of energy flow through her body and she knew that slowly she was starting to reconnect with her old Kamui.

Sastuki and the four heard her approaching footsteps and all turned to look at her. Each one of them with a serious look in their eyes as they looked over her form, studying her. She rolled her eyes at them and scoffed. "We'll be going now." she pulled at the back of Gamagoori's collar and with all her strength pulled at him to come with her, but all she managed to do was choke the guy.

"And what do you think you'll be able to accomplish?" Satsuki questioned her younger sister, knowing that she understood what their plan was and what they wanted to do.

Ryuko looked at her sister, never once releasing her grip on the man who was clawing at his collar to try and get some air into his lungs. "We're going to rescue Mako."

"We have come up with a suitable plan." Inumuta said, typing away on his laptop.

Ryuko raised an eyebrow and with one swift movement kicked a small pebble at his laptop, closing it and leaving a small scuff on the cover. Inumuta cried out in shock when he saw this and quickly began to try and clean off the scratch all the while screaming out cruses and what he would do to Ryuko for harming his precious laptop. "You're plan is crap. It won't do anything more than hurt Mako and make her lose even more hope."

Satsuki studied her sister. Somehow in a short moment she had changed her entire emotional state over the situation and was behaving in an a whole new way. "And how exactly do you know this?"

Ryuko didn't answer right away. Instead she pulled even harder at Gamagoori, this time making him stand up on his feet so he could finally breathe. She motioned for him to follow after her with one finger. "Because she told me so."

"She told you what exactly?" Satsuki wanted her to say it out loud. She had her suspicions on the dream she had told them about and what she was leaving out.

Ryuko shoved her hands in her pocket as she stood straight, looking up at the academy that was looming down at them. "Mako asked me to kill her."

Silence overcame the group. No one said anything, even Inumuta stopped what he was doing to take in what was just said. Gamagoori seemed to be the one in the most shock. He gulped down the feeling of vomiting when the mere thought of them killing Mako entered his mind. _"Did she really say that?" _he didn't want to believe it. Mako Mankanshoku was the living embodiment of the human will. But Ryuko was her best friend so why would she lie? _"Because she isn't." _he gritted his teeth, trying to conceal his anger. Mako really wanted to die. He fought back the urge to yell and scream and punch the ground beneath them. How dare she ask that. Did she not have faith in them? Was she really that worried about Nui taking over that she's rather die than fight? And why the hell hadn't she visited his dreams and talked to him?

Ryuko could see from the corner of her eye the internal battle that was going on inside him and grinned. Not from the jealously that she was the one having telepathic dreams with Mako but because she understood how he felt. She was feeling the exact same way. "She believes the hold Nui has over her is too strong and she doesn't want to harm any of us," she brought one hand up, placing it on top of the eye patch. "But that won't happen. You guys can work on your plan to try and extract Nui but first Gamagoori and I need to remind Mako that she still has hope." Once more she felt a surge of power course through her body and it made her smile. She could feel herself getting closer to being with Senketsu again. But not just him, soon she would have her best friend back and the three of them would be just like they used too. She knew what she needed, she had to help Mako remember who she was and that there were people who cared about her and would do anything to bring her back. That was why she needed Gamagoori. Their friendship was strong but the love those two felt for each other was just as strong.

So without saying another word she stalked off, heading towards the academy and not far behind her was Gamagoori. The two of them didn't speak as they walked down the path that would lead them to their former school and to the person they cared for and to the woman that was slowly taking control of her.


	6. Chapter 6

The walk to the school was silent. Neither spoke to the other as they hiked through the demolished grounds, jumping over fallen buildings, and keeping an eye out for any signs of Nui. When they finally reached the school they began to search the grounds, starting with where the two girls used to eat lunch together to the old fields where most of their old battles took place. For a while Ryuko was in the lead but with the eye patch on it was hard for her to see everything around her and she kept bumping into the debris. Gamagoori finally had enough and took over in leading their two-man squad. She merely grumbled at this but didn't argue. Honesty she was kind of glad he was leading because she was starting to get annoyed with tripping and bumping into everything that she couldn't see from her right eye. She was amazed that she hadn't crashed her motorbike sooner. The sun was still high in the sky and the summer afternoon was hot but the heat didn't stop them. If anything it only made them searcher faster. Not just for the fact that they wanted to find Nui and save Mako, but because they had no idea what to talk about with the other. They've never actually spoken before, other than about Life Fibers or saving Mako. They both cared for the same person but have never once spoken a word to each other about a personal matter. They found it awkward to be around the other.

"We should spilt up," Ryuko suggested the moment they stepped into the school. It would make their search faster and because she was started to get self conscious for the silence that was surrounding them. She pulled off the backpack and pulled out to walkie-talkies that she took from Nudist Beach. "If we find anything we'll contact the other on this." She tossed him the black device and placed her on her hip.

Gamagoori looked at the device in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "You and Mankanshoku should really consider getting cell phones." He held onto his as on his whip was being secured in a clutch on his waist.

She merely shrugged her shoulders, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Maybe. Probably once Mako and I get some part time jobs we'll be able to afford them," before all this happened the two had discussed getting some jobs to help with the bills around the house. Of course Mako's parents rejected any ideas of them helping out and said if they wanted jobs they should get them but they should spend their paychecks on themselves. They had agreed and began to look for some jobs, ones that were good for high school students and didn't require too much work. "And before you say anything, Satsuki already offered to buy us some but we refused." She stopped him, feeling his mouth opening to suggest they ask her sister to buy them some. While she knew her sister was already trying to help they all felt that she had done more than enough for the family. She had basically bought them a house, gave them furniture, and nearly paid all the mortgage for it before they stepped in and stopped her. While they were grateful for her help they didn't want to accept it for fear they may become spoiled. They never wanted to go back to how they were when they were living two-star luxury and take life for granted again. "If we do get phones then we want to get them our own way by earning them."

Gamagoori understood this and didn't argue but he still believed the two girls should have something with them. They no longer had the power of the Life Fibers so they couldn't protect themselves if someone attacked them on the street. "While I find your decision to be an honorable one I feel you and Mankanshoku should have some kind of device that can help you should you find yourself in a compromising situation." He told her his option, crossing his arms in the process. His cheeks were a light pink as he spoke, his real reason for wanting them to get the phone hidden in his mind. He actually wanted Mako to have her own so he could get in contact with her easier and not have to call her home phone and have everyone interrupting them.

Ryuko turned around to look at him, a sly grin on her face. "Yeah right. You just want Mako to get one so you can call her in the middle of the night."

His face exploded in embarrassment. _"How the hell could she know that?!" _

The grin on her face only widened in size. "You're like an open book when it comes to Mako."

His eyes grew in size at her words. _"She can read minds!"_he gulped, trying to keep all his hidden secrets just that. Hidden.

Ryuko merely rolled her eyes at him. No one needed to be a mind reader if they wanted to know what Ira Gamagoori was thinking. His face showed it all. "Let's get going. We've wasted enough time."

"Wait," he stopped her, forgetting his previous worries for the current ones he was feeling now. "Before you go I need to know, did Mankanshoku really tell you she wants to die?" his eyes harden at those words. The mere thought of her wanting to die was maddening. Someone like her asking to be killed was insanity.

Ryuko stood there, her one visible eye glazed over as she thought back to her dream encounter with Mako. "Yes," her words were soft spoken but heavy. She gulped down the lump in her throat, her hands at her sides itching to be balled into a fist but she held herself back. "She knows once Nui fully consumes her then she'll have full control of her body and she doesn't want us to get hurt by her hands. She knows that we could never hurt her." This time she allowed her hands to curl into fists, her body tense with the anger and frustration she felt. "But that's exactly what we have to do. Mako would never forgive us if we just sat around and did nothing. But if we don't do anything then Nui wins and we'll lose Mako forever. So even if it's tough we have to forget that it's Mako and go at Nui with enough force to stop her."

Gamagoori was stunned. She was suggesting they go into battle with their full strength. He wanted to stop Nui but he wasn't sure if he could truly allow himself to cause harm to Mako. Especially by his hands. "So what you're saying is we need to just do enough to stop Nui?" he glared at the floor, his resolve building up inside him as he gripped his whip at his side. "Very well." He could do that. He made a vow to protect Mako but he would have to bend his bow a little if he wanted to save her. In the process he may cause some damage to her but if it meant getting her back then he would accept whatever consequences he would face afterwards.

"Aw, that's not very nice."

The two gasped, turning around with such speed they could feel the effect of whiplash coming but they paid no mind to that because no more than a few feet away from them was Nui. They were shocked and angered when they saw her hair, that at first only had a few streaks of blonde, now had the bottom half covered. She was standing there, smiling at them both with her hands behind her back. "And here I thought you two liked this girl but it sounds like you don't care if something happens to her," she held out her right arm, a twisted grin coming on to her face as she ran one of her nails over the skin, making it bleed out. She held up the bleeding arm, blood dripping down her pale skin. "If so then maybe I should get rid of her now and save you the trouble." She licked the blood running down from the open wound, causing it to stain around her lips.

Gamagoori's whip wrapped her arm in an instant. "I will not allow Mankanshoku's blood to be spilled." His voice was soft but filled with so much power and anger it had even Ryuko backing up.

Nui giggled at this, running one finger up and down the whip that held her. "Well somebody sure isn't happy," she grinned when she felt the whip tighten and saw him step closer, ready to attack. "If you keep frowning it'll only make your old man face look even older, Gamagoori-senpai." She gasped and so did they. Did she just say senpai? With a grunt she jumped out of the whip's hold and looked at the two with anger shining in her blue eyes but in those eyes also held a hint of panic.

"Mako!" Ryuko called out to her friend. That slip of the tongue could only mean one thing and that was Mako fighting to break free. "You can beat her! You're stronger than Nui!"

Said girl let out a low growl, her body shaking as she tried to appear calm and had everything under control but on the inside she could feel it. These two were somehow making Mako fight against her restraints. "It won't work," she stepped back, hands gripping the ends of her dress with such force she ripped the fabric. "I will never allow this doll to break free!" she screamed out, jumping back and disappearing into the air.

Gamagoori followed after her instantly. "Stop!" he wouldn't allow her to escape.

Ryuko blinked when she saw him take off. She had been momentarily stunned from what she just witnessed but she got her bearings back and followed after the man. They turned the corner but found the hallway empty and any trace of Nui gone. "Damn it," Gamagoori continued to run down the corridor, he would not allow her to escape. If he had to search every nook and cranny of the school he would. "Matoi, follow me. I know every inch of this building and any possible place for her to hide away."

Ryuko moved to follow after him but she stopped when she felt the eye patch shaking. "Senketsu?" she whispered, tracing her fingers over the fabric that felt rough. It was trying to tell her something but she couldn't even begin to imagine what. Gamagoori was already out of sight and she cursed, pulling out her walkie-talkie when she felt her head start to turn to her left. Somehow Senketsu was making her turn to look at something but all she saw was a staircase. The same staircase that lead to their old classroom. As if struck by lightning realization sunk in and she bolted up the stairs. _"You saw it too, didn't you Senketsu." _Her mind flashed her back to encounter they just had with Nui. When she slipped up and they saw Mako fighting against her, it had only been for a moment but she saw it. For a single second Nui's icy blue eye had turned a soft brown. Mako was fighting for control. She received no verbal reply from the patch but it once again vibrated against her face. The connect was still weak but she could feel it growing stronger.

The door to their former classroom was coming up and with all the force she had she slammed the metal door open and jumped inside. Inside the demolished room was Nui, sitting at Mako's old desk and next to her was Ryuko's old desk. They were the only two that weren't scattered around the room in a pile of broken pieces. The girl wasn't saying anything, her head bent down and her hands still clenching the bottom of her dress. Ryuko stepped forward but stopped when she remembered that she still needed to inform Gamagoori. She brought the walkie-talkie up to call for the man but hesitated, worried if she did Nui would get away. With a grunt she pressed the button and spoke into the talkie. "Gamagoori, I'm back in our old classroom. Hurry the hell up here." Even if there was a risk of Nui getting away before Gamagoori got here she would have to take it. She may not like it too much but Mako cared for him and she needed him there to help get their friend back. One blue eye looked at the girl who still hadn't moved an inch since she entered. With slow steps she walked over and sat down in her old desk, staring ahead at the cracked chalk board as she tried to come up with a plan. So far she was just winging it.

"I see you found me." Nui's voice was soft, any traces of cheerfulness was gone and replaced with bitterness.

"Mako and I had class together in here." Ryuko told her, still not turning her head to look at her.

"Of course it is," Nui scoffed, the bitterness in her voice growing and her grip tightening.

Ryuko frowned, her body growing tense at what was happening. She didn't understand Nui or why she was acting like this. It was completely different from her usual behavior. "I want my friend back."

"How can you have something back that never existed to begin with?" Nui finally lifts her head, her one visible eye had a glazed over twisted look shined in her blue orbs. "If you're so lonely, I can make you a new friend. This body is starting to annoy me so I can make you a new friend, one that is much cuter and-" her rambling is cut off by a croquette being shoved in her mouth.

Ryuko finally looks at her, an angry glare in her eyes as she holds the bento box that Mrs. Mankanshoku made for her. "I don't need a new friend. I have Mako. She's the only friend I'll ever need and I refuse to let the likes of you take her away," she proceeds to shove croquettes inside the girl's mouth, choking her but that wasn't stopping Ryuko from shoving every last piece of food she had inside her mouth. With great speed she used her chopsticks to pick up every piece and place them all inside her mouth. "Mako, I know you can hear me! I saw it in the hallway, you're fighting against Nui just as hard as we are. I know you can come back to us and it might be tough so eat up. You always gave me these croquettes to give me strength so now I'm doing the same for you. Eat up, gather your strength, and kick Nui's ass!"

Every piece of Ryuko's bento was shoved inside her mouth and amazingly she managed to swallow it. Gasping for air she slapped the chopsticks away and jumped to her feet, frustration and anger now shining in her eye. "It's useless! This doll will never break free. I won't allow it! I won't...ahhh!" she fell to her knees, crying out in pain as her body shook. Her breathing turned ragged and her one eye widen in size from shock and a little bit of fear. "It's not possible..." she cried out once more, the pain was slowly starting to overtake her.

"Mako!" Ryuko is by her side in a second. She reaches out for her only to have her hand in a snake like grip and hisses as sharp nails dig into her skin. "You..." Nui growls up at her, one blue eye burning with hatred. "This is all your fault!" she screams as the pain comes again, this time ever stronger than before and causing her to fall into Ryuko's lap. The cries of pain still come but they soon start to turn into soft whimpers and the hand that is holding onto Ryuko's wrist loosens. "...Ryuko-Chan?"

Ryuko gasps, her heart skips a beat when she hears this and she cries in joy when she sees the girl's eye is no longer blue but back to its original brown color. "You're back." She runs her hand through the soft brown locks that had yet to be dyed blonde.

She nodded, "I told you mysterious croquettes give you amazing power." She tried lifting herself but her body was weak and she was panting. Any power she had was slowly being drained out of her. "I don't have much time left." She whispered but Ryuko still heard her.

"Mako, what are you saying?" she felt fear take over her heart. As she looked over her friend and saw just how weak and tired she was her fears grew. "No," she grabbed her in a hug. "I won't let that happen." She didn't want it to be true but she could see it clear as day. Her friend was dying.

The area around them shook and both knew what it meant. In mere seconds Gamagoori stepped into the room, his chest heaving from the sprint he just did to get there and eyes wide as he looked at the scene before him.

Mako smiled at him. "Ira..." she reached out one hand for him.

"Mankanshoku," he was by her side in a single step, taking hold of her hand and pulling her body against his. He could feel her heart beating, the same beat and rhythm he felt on their date when they kissed. He finally had her back. This only made him hold her tighter, never again did he want to lose her.

Feeling his grip tighten only made her smile. "Sorry if I've been such a bad student." She whispered into him, burying her face into his chest and inhaling his scent that was a mixture of body spray and sweat. A strange combination but it made her heart flare up at the scent.

He chuckled, blinking away the tears that gathered in his eyes. "I'm no longer the Disciplinary Chairman and you're not a student. We're just Ira and Mako now." He told her, kissing the top of her head.

She gasped in surprise and smiled up at him. It was a weak smile but it still managed to shine bright. "You finally said my name."

He smiled back, trying to hide the bitterness he was feeling. "Sorry if it took me so long." He cupped her cheek, cursing himself for being such a coward. If only he had said her name sooner. Confessed sooner. If he had done everything sooner then maybe things could have gone differently.

She shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. "I'm just glad to hear you say it," With one hand she reached out and held Ryuko's hand, happy when her friend returned the hold. She was content. She was in the arms of the man she loved and by her side was her best friend. In this one moment she couldn't have asked for anything more and it was also in this one moment that is all ended. Another wave of pain shot through her body and caused her to cry out in pain. She could no longer support her body and was now fully leaning against Gamagoori's body and her hold on Ryuko's hand was tight enough to cut off circulation. "...kill me," she called out, using what was left of her strength to talk with them. "You have too. I can't hold back Nui any longer. She's too strong for me."

"Don't say that!" Ryuko held her friend's hand, her own grip tightening around her same shaking hand. "Mako, you're so much strong than you think."

Mako shook her head, tears spilling from her one visible eye. "Without a uniform I can't do anything."

"That's not true!" Gamagoori pulled her back, his two large hands supporting her body. "You were a No-Star student but you bravely stood against us of the student council, went off into battle without any form of armor, and not once did you ever think you could lose. The Mako Mankanshoku I know does not know the meaning of the word give up!" he cried out, letting loose his frustration and anger. He didn't think it was possible but his hatred for Nui increased. It was because of her that Mako was saying such things. Things she would never normally say and by now should have been doing her hallelujah stance.

She stared at him, her one brown eye wide with amazement before softening into a loving gaze. "Thank you," she smiled, happiness rushing into her heart. She was truly blessed to have found such wonderful people in her life. Even if she was only a doll she would never forget them or the happy memories they had. "But I can't do this," she jumped away from the two, landing by the window and holding her chest in pain. Both Ryuko and Gamagoori stood up to go after her but she held up one hand, halting them as she looked at them. "This may be the last time I see you two so I want to make it last. I know I don't have much time left until Nui completely absorbs me. There are Life Fibers in my body that she can use to make new uniforms and this time she'll able to wear them and use their power. That's why you have to kill me and destroy my body so that doesn't happen!" she cried, pleading with them to stop her before she killed them with her own hands. She didn't care if she disappeared forever, she could accept her fate but what she wanted to prevent was her friend's deaths.

"That is not an option!" Gamagoori yelled out, his hand clenching her old desk and was making it crack under the pressure he was putting on it. "We've come up with a way to remove Nui from your body. We can help you!"

She shook her head. "Nui and I share more than just a body. She is embedded into my soul. If you try and remove her you'll be taking my soul out too." She knew of their plan because Nui had been spying on them. There were trying to suck out the twisted girl but it wouldn't work without both their souls getting sucked out and destroying them both.

This new sent a new wave of dread through Gamagoori. Their only plan of action turned out to a completely failure before they even had the chance to test it. But that wasn't what was bothering him the most. He was going along with a plan that could have killed her. He nearly allowed himself and his friend to do something that would ultimately kill her in the end. He was disgusted with himself. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? The hand that was clenching the desk gripped the object even harder and made it break, the wooden shards embedding themselves into his skin but instead of pleasure from the pain all he felt was horror and shame. He was utterly powerless to help the woman he loved.

Mako looked at him, her heart going out to him and all she wanted to do at this moment was be held in his arms but she didn't trust herself. She could feel Nui taking control again and she couldn't trust herself not to hurt him. "I know it's selfish and cruel but please you have to kill me. You just have too!"

"Screw that!" Ryuko screamed, kicking her own desk to the side and sent it crashing into the wall. She faced her best friend, anger and annoyance shining in her one eye as her body shook. "It's not just cruel and selfish, it's fucking impossible!" she stepped towards her friend, determination and anger radiating in every step that she took. "You keep saying Nui is too strong and we have to kill you. Don't you think we know that? We know Nui and how strong she is and what she's capable of but even knowing that we still are willing to fight. We won't kill you because we can't! You are my best friend and the girl Gamagoori loves, do you really think we can kill you?"

Mako was in shock, not only from her friend's anger but from what she just said. "Love...?" her one eye looking at Gamagoori who was standing there, his mouth wide open and face looking like a tomato. She finally took notice of the blue locket wrapped around his neck and blushed. She remembered the song that came from the locket and longed to hear it one more time.

"Matoi!" Gamagoori cried out, his face burning with embarrassment. He hadn't told Mako the real extent of his feelings yet because he had been planning on waiting for the right moment but she just revealed it all.

Ryuko just rolled her one eye and shrugged. "Oh come on, it was obvious how you really felt. And instead of waiting months for you to tell her it's better she hears this now," she smiled at her friend, placing one hand on her shoulder. "He loves you and so do I. Nui said it was our bonds that gave you life and it's those same bonds that will give you back your life."

"Ryuko-Chan..." Mako was in tears, to hear such words made her so happy. "Thank you." She smiled at them, and this time it was a smile that resembled her old self. Staggering she fell forward and rested her body against Ryuko's. Her time with them was up, she could feel Nui sucking her back and taking control but before that happened she had to tell her something. With the last of her strength she whispered into her friend's ear before pushing back and jumped out the window.

Both Ryuko and Gamagoori gasped and ran to the window to see Mako looking up at them but sadly her brown eyes were replaced by enraged blue ones. Nui was back in control and she was angry. "I refuse to let that doll live. I will destroy every last trace of this thing!" she yelled up at them, vowing to be rid of Mako Mankanshoku. She would not allow herself to be beaten by a mere doll that she created. She took off after that, running out of the school grounds and fleeing the scene.

Ryuko watched the girl go but her mind wasn't focused on her or what she had said. All she could concentrate on was the last words Mako had told her before Nui took over. "Gamagoori, we have to-!" she was cut off by a punch to the face that sent her flying to the ground with enough force to knock a person out. "What the hell was that for!" thankfully she wasn't a normal human or else that punch would have done more damage.

"For not calling me sooner!" he growled, standing tall and fierce and showing no ounce of regret for hitting her. He was so angry that he wanted to keep punching until all he felt his heart would recover. "I thought you said you would need the both of us to get Mako back? And yet you took off running and tried to rescue her on your own again!" he was so tired of her and stupid idea that she was the only one who could help Mako. She wasn't the only one who had strong feelings for the girl. She just admitted to the girl that he was in love with her. Another thing that he was annoyed with. He wanted to tell Mako himself how he felt about her and not through some other person. Now the entire meaning of his love would be lost.

Ryuko growled herself, standing back on her feet and clenched her fist. "I called you, didn't I? And who told you to go chasing after some ghost. You should have realized what was happening when you saw Mako taking control back. Or maybe you couldn't because your feelings for her aren't as strong as you say they are." It was a low blow. She knew it but he annoyed her and was in no mood to deal with him or whatever tantrum he was having. If he wanted to fight then she would fight.

The two just stared at each other, anger shining in both their eyes. Or eye in Ryuko's case. They stayed there, watching the other, their fist clenching and unclenching as they let their anger come to a boil. In an instant they jumped at each other, swift punches and kicks being aimed at the other and landing. They were rolling around inside the classroom, destroying whatever remained of the shattered building. Neither spoke a word, only using their fists to communicate the anger, annoyance, and fear towards the other. They were both anxious about the whole situation involving Mako and whenever the two of them were in the same room they always ended up fighting about who cared for the girl more. Today had been the limit of that fight and they were letting lose. Neither used any weapons, only their hands and feet to do damage to the other.

This was how Satsuki and the others found them when their arrived on the scene. It had been more than a hour since Ryuko and Gamagoori had left the group and they had started to worry so they came looking for them. Not that it had been hard to find them. They could hear their fight from the entrance of the school. When they arrived inside the room they hadn't expected to see them fighting each other and while Sanageyama had been ready to jump in and stop them, Satsuki put a hand on his shoulder. Shaking her head she pulled him back. "Leave them," she looked at the two, she knew that they were aware of them being in the room but that hadn't stopped them from their fight. "They need this."

The four sat outside the classroom door. They had discovered early on that it wasn't safe for them to wait inside the room. After Ryuko had sent Gamagoori flying with a powerful kick into the chalkboard and almost into them, they had all run out to take cover. The fight had been going on for hours but neither seemed to be ready to stop. The sun was starting to set and they remained locked in their battle. Inumuta was on his computer, Nonon playing a game on her phone, Sanageyama leaned against the wall, somehow sleeping through the ruckus, while Satsuki sat on her knees, staring out the window the entire time. From her position she could see inside the classroom where the fight was taking place and throughout the entire fight she noticed something very interesting. While the two were moving around at breakneck speed and delivering powerful blows they both made sure to avoid causing any damage to the purple backpack of Mako Mankanshoku that laid in the middle of the room. She smiled when she saw this, understanding more about their fight from witnessing this.

After a moment Satsuki stands up, startling Nonon and Inumuta and making Sanageyama jolt awake. "I believe we can enter now." She informs them, stepping inside without any fears or worry about being caught up in the crossfire.

Inside stood the panting forms of Ryuko and Gamagoori. Both of them covered in bruises and breathing heavily from their battle. Despite being covered from head to toe in bruises, scratches, and even some parts of them bleeding they stood tall and proud. As if they were pleased that they were finally able to fight the other.

"That's enough." Satsuki stepped between them, picking up the backpack in the process. "You have taken the time to sort out your feelings. Now it's time to focus on the matter at hand." She held the pack in the middle, showing them the bag to remind them of their goal.

Gamagoori was the first to respond. Wiping away the blood from his lip and fixed his posture, standing like he did back when he was still in the student council. "Understood."

Ryuko rolled her one eye at this and spit out some blood from her mouth. "Got it." she grabbed the bag and put it on her back, ignoring her sore muscles that screamed when she moved them.

"Very good," Satsuki was pleased with this and motioned for the others to come forward so they could discuss their plans. "We have received word from Aikuro that Nudist Beach has gathered their forces and they're ready to attack. He was waiting on us to see if we managed to capture Nui but I have told him that we have been unsuccessful."

Ryuko frowned, running a hand through her hair and sighed. "Great, so now they're about to wage war on Mako and there's not a damn thing we can do to stop them," she looked away, somewhat ashamed that she spent time fighting that could have been used to find Mako but she had to admit she needed this. This fight had been an eye opener to her and she felt better about herself, and about Gamagoori dating her best friend. "Not to mention we just learned some shitty news about Mako." She leaned against the window, her body suddenly feeling drained.

Grey eyes looked at her tired form and he had to admit their fight left him feeling sluggish as well but he would not allow himself to rest until they had Mako back. "We managed to encounter Nui and saw Mako fighting against the girl. She told us of her plans to use the Life Fibers inside her body to recreate the uniforms and use them against us. We also learned they share more than just a body and that Nui has managed to intertwine their souls so that if we try and extract her we will also be removing Mako from her body as well." He told them all what they had learned and fought the urge to fiddle with the locket around his neck. He was pleased that it had not taken any damage in the battle and was silently grateful for Ryuko. He noticed early on in the fight that she was making sure not to get the locket. For that he was grateful and would have to remember to thank her for that kind gesture.

Nonon groaned, arms crossed and a frown on her face. "Great, so our only plan of attack is useless before we ever got the chance to use it."

"Nui seems to have thought of everything," Sanageyama frowned himself, gritting his teeth as he thought of the girl who was causing them such problems. "How long do we have until Nudist Beach attacks?"

"I'd say about an hour before they manage to locate Nui." Inumuta informed them, running all the data he had through his laptop and forming different kinds of simulations that they could use but so far none were to his liking.

"Then we must find Mako before they do," Satsuki placed her hand on the sheath of her two swords, eye hardening as she spoke. "Inumuta, inform Iori of what we just learned and I want you two to come up with a new solution to successful remove Nui from Mako's body without causing the girl any type of damage. The rest of us will search for Nui and keep her busy long enough for them to come up with a solution."

Nonon raised an eyebrow, not so sure about this plan. "How will we find her?" so far they had only managed to find Nui out of pure luck.

Satsuki grinned at this, her grip on her swords tightening. "Because I know Nui can't resist a good game of hide and seek." She spent years with the twisted girl and knew everything about her and how psyche. She knew exactly what to do to get her attention. "Let's go. We don't have much time left." She told them, leading them all out of the room.

No one argued and followed after the woman, discussing plans and attacks that they would do once they came across Nui and what they would need to do to keep her busy and even possibly capture her. Night had finally fallen, the moon hidden away as a it was the time for the New Moon and only the stars shined in the darken sky.

_**"Ryuko..." **_

Her entire body came to a halt. She cupped the eye patch in her hands, her heart rate picking up when she heard that familiar voice. Her father's mouse, that had been resting peacefully inside the bag, jumped onto her shoulder and squeaked up at the patch. "Senketsu?" she called out, not bothering to lower her voice and catching the attention of the others.

_**"Nui is growing stronger. I can feel it." **_

She gritted her teeth together, not liking this information but was so glad to able to speak with her old friend again. "I know. How do we stop her?" she asked, hoping it could shed some light on things.

_**"Return to where your bond with Mako began. You should be able to find the answer there and you'll be able to find me there as well." **_

Ryuko nodded, understanding what it was asking her to do. "Right, got it!"

Meanwhile the others were staring at her like she had grown a second head.

"Who's she talking to?" Nonon questioned, wondering if she was actually talking to the mouse.

"I think you might have hit her one too many times in the head, Gamagoori." Sanageyama told the large man who paled at the thought.

"No, I'm not picking up any brainwave patterns that would appear as some form of brain damage." Inumuta told them, calming the man down of his fears.

"So what has her acting this way?" Gamagoori asked, pleased that he hadn't caused any permanent injury to the girl. He was sure if he did neither Satsuki nor Mako would ever speak to him every again. That is, if they didn't kill him first.

"She is talking to Senketsu." Satsuki informed them, looking at her younger sister that was communicating with the eye patch.

"Ok..." it took the four former council members a moment for that piece of information to register in their brain. "What?!"

Ryuko finally took notice of them and suddenly felt a little self-conscious of their staring. You think she would be used to it now after going around for months talking to her uniform but it still made her feel awkward when others stared at her. Shaking away any form on awkwardness she was feeling she marched up to Gamagoori and held her hand out to him. "I need to borrow your car."

"What?" he was shocked and slightly annoyed that she would ask him for such a thing. Didn't she know that no one but him was allowed to drive his car. "I refuse. You nearly killed yourself driving your bike and besides you do not have license so allowing you to drive a car would not only be stupid but it is against the law."

She just glared and reached her hand out even further. So what if she didn't have a drivers license yet? She's been driving since she was fifteen and knew her way behind the wheel just find. "Look there's no time to explain. Just give me your keys."

"Give them to her, Gamagoori." Satsuki told him, her sharp blue eyes making contact with the larger man. "She knows what she's doing."

Gamagoori didn't say anything. Silently taking out his car keys and handing them to Ryuko and trying not to grumble. If Satsuki asked him to allow Ryuko to drive his car then he wouldn't complain. He vowed to do whatever their former leader asked, even if a part of him wanted to argue.

Ryuko noticed this and bit back any snide comment she wanted to say and smiled. "Thank you." She thanked the older male and her sister before running towards the pink Cadillac and jumping into the driver's seat. From the distance she could hear Gamagoori's appalled gasp at her movements but chose to ignore it as she adjusted the seat. It was pulled back all the way and she had to pull it all the way to front for her feet to even reach the pedals. _"Here's hoping I don't crash again." _She didn't think her body could take it if she put it through much more and she was sure if she crashed it she would never hear the end of it from Gamagoori. Shoving the keys into the ignition she stepped on the gas and drove off, driving down the road to the place where it all started. The old Mankanshoku household. It had been destroyed during the final battle but if Senketsu was telling her to go there then she wouldn't argue. Besides it was the place where it all began. She and Mako first met at school but she didn't feel any kind of relationship form until she had been taken to her house and felt the warm welcome that she and her family had offered to her. It was during that time that she felt that she had formed a real bond with a person. Mako was the first person to accept her for who she was and even when she was talking to her uniform. Most people would had left the moment she started talking to the piece of clothing or even before when she challenged Satsuki but Mako had done the complete opposite and had ene graciously offered her to live with her and her family despite them not having much. It was the place where she accepted Mako as her first friend and where many of her happiness memories of Senketsu are. _"I'll be there soon you guys. Wait for me!" _


End file.
